Narutoverse no Jutsu 2: Return of Team 12
by Hikari Midori-chan
Summary: Ch. 36 finally up! “Maybe we’re supposed to look for the way out with our heart and not our eyes,” Kyoko guessed. “Wha?” “I saw it in a movie once!” Kyoko claimed, sitting cross-legged on the cold ground. R&R please!
1. Our World

Sequel, sequel, sequel!!! Here is the sequel to Narutoverse no Jutsu! Man, am I excited! Mostly because I have NO idea where this one's going! If you haven't read Narutoverse no Jutsu, I suggest reading it before this one! Of course, you don't have to if you aren't confused about anything.

The title is very cliche, no? Honestly I couldn't think of anything besides "Narutoverse no Jutsu 2" and when I consulted Kyoko about it she didn't know either. Then I came up with this while I was saying, "I'll have to put up something corny if we can't think of anything like...THIS!" Oddly enough, Kyoko was thinking the same thing. Either we're connected somehow, or I used my psychic powers everyone KNOWS I have by accident. XD But no need to tell you my life story. So, without further ado, here's Narutoverse no Jutsu 2: Return of Team 12!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

The weather outside was blistering cold with speeding winds, bulleting raindrops, and large waves splashing with every turn of a car. High school students were bustling into their classrooms to avoid getting too soaked. Among them was a trio formed since elementary school.

"Why, God? WHY?" Nami wailed, dropping to her knees and questioning the heavens. "Why did you make it rain on the day I have to ride _ALL THE WAY HOME_?!"

"Nami! You're getting drenched!" Midori called from under the awnings.

"What's the point?" Kyoko mumbled, adjusting her hood that hovered over her face, pale from the cold. "She's gonna get wet anyway. _We'll _be riding home today while _you_ get to ride in your dad's nice, heated car. With butt-warmers."

Midori rolled her eyes. "Stop angsting over life and let's get to class."

The two girls dragged Nami out of the rain and into their first class, which wasn't any warmer than outside. In there, desks were cluttered and teenagers were doing their own things; gossiping, readying pranks, throwing paper airplanes, etc. The girls sat themselves in their lined places near the windows (Nami in the back, Midori in the front, and Kyoko in between).

A few minutes later, the bell rang, the teacher stood up, and class started. As the only adult in the room drawled on about what was going to be on the test in two days. Midori's eyes trailed to the window. She knew the teacher had been telling them what to study for weeks, and it was apparent that she and her group of friends would spend a study session at her house the day before the test. That was when they'd be spending all their time watching anime and discussing manga in the childish way they've been doing for years.

Midori blinked. She could've sworn she saw an odd-colored flash outside. Straining her sight, she leaned slightly towards the window, wondering if it had been a mere lightning bolt…or something else…

"Miss Hikari!"

Midori shot back into a normal position in her seat and said, "Yes?"

"Is there something more interesting outside than my advice?" the tall, skinny man wasn't very intimidating, but all teachers were in Midori's eyes.

"No, sir," Midori answered.

"This is a first for you, so don't let it happen again!"

"Will do." She sank in her chair depressingly.

It was then a woman with thick, brown hair tied in a bun came into the room. Thick, foggy glasses covered her eyes from sight. She motioned her hands in a way that suggested she wanted to speak privately with the teacher. He briskly walked out of the room, warning everyone to write the schedule down for later use.

The room suddenly felt lighter as it burst into sound.

"What a stiff, huh?" the girl with waist-length black hair sitting next to Midori whispered. She flashed a grin and as she mimed popping the man's head with her index and thumb. "If only it were that easy."

"Kiyo," Midori said sternly, but with a sudden smile. "That's no way to do it."

"Yeah," Nami said as she walked over so she could see through the glass window on the upper half of the door. "You go like _this_." Then she showcased the right way to 'pop a teacher's head'.

"You guys are being stupid," Midori said bluntly after successfully plastering on a straight face.

"You know you want to join in on the fun. You can't resist it."

All the while, Kyoko was doodling on the corner of her paper. She was currently outlining the eyes of a certain Kazekage, grimacing at her fifteen-second work of art. Before she could vigorously erase the drawing, the teacher came back and called, "Shimizu! Kawa! Hikari! Head to the office right now with your belongings!"

The girls exchanged confused glances, but followed his orders. They trailed a few steps behind the woman, speaking in whispers.

"What did we do?" Midori muttered worriedly. "I've never been sent here before…I mean, for something bad."

"Oh sure, rub it in our faces," Nami hissed. "Anyway, I bet it's just something they want us to do like community service or whatever. You know, on our own time."

Midori and Kyoko exchanged doubtful glances.

"What? You geniuses got any better ideas?"

Suddenly, the woman stopped, causing Kyoko to bump into her roughly.

"Sorry," Kyoko said, backing up in a second.

"Is something wrong?" Midori asked.

"Yeah, why are you stopping? Can we just get this over with?" Nami added.

"Walking with you girls like this really brings back memories."

The trio had perplexed expressions when the woman turned around, removing her glasses and unraveling her hair, fixing it into a free ponytail instead of a dignified bun. Three pairs of eyes widened at the same time, and each teen gasped the same name, "Marieke-sensei!"

"H-How?" Midori stuttered.

"I'll explain later," Marieke said, "But first, we need to find a secluded place to talk." She held her hand up as if signaling to something, and sure enough, she was, because two figures dropped down from the ceiling behind the three. This startled the young teens that whirled around to see who else Marieke had brought along.

There stood two young men of tall stature, one with long brown hair and one with his hair sticking up oddly in a ponytail. It only took half a second for the girls to realize who they were, but their reaction was slow.

"Long time, no see," Shikamaru remarked tiredly.

"This…is too good to be true," Midori said in an undertone. "Neji?"

Neji offered a small smile and nodded.

Kyoko looked like she was about to scream or cheer, but Nami's hand flew over her friend's mouth before she could make a raucous. Nami lowered her own voice and said, "We can go to my house. Nobody's home around this time."

"Wait, but what about school?" Midori questioned. "They'll know if we're gone."

"_Midori_," Kyoko and Nami groaned.

"All taken care of," Marieke said. "No need to worry. Like I said, we'll explain everything."

"…All right."

After conducting a Henge, the three shinobi and the real world girls traveled to Nami's house, which was a ten-minute walk from the school. The group was silent for the most part, and Marieke didn't seem willing to speak of anything until they got to the house. When they arrived, Nami unlocked the door and led everyone inside and into the living room where she claimed the recliner. Midori, Neji, and Marieke took one of the couches while Kyoko and Shikamaru took the other. As soon as everyone was seated, the lid containing the girls' excitement was lifted.

All three girls started talking all at once at such a fast pace that they sounded like they were speaking gibberish.

"We'll answer all your questions one at a time!" Marieke said loudly.

"How did you get here?" Midori cut in before Nami or Kyoko could say anything.

"A lot has been accomplished in two and a half years, Midori," Marieke said with a tinge of calmness in her voice. "Do you remember the scroll that we attained on the last mission you girls ever went on?"

The trio nodded in unison.

"Kakashi and Hokage-sama created a variation of the jutsu that sent you all home."

"You're kidding!" Nami exclaimed.

Marieke shook her head. "Instead of envisioning the location, you envision the people you want to see. Then you're transported to a place nearby the person. There's no need to draw a diagram in the ground anymore, but it takes a greater amount of chakra. We were all pretty tired afterwards."

"So then…you've been here for long?" Kyoko asked.

"Two days, actually," Marieke said. "We've been watching you girls for some time."

"That's creepy," Nami said bluntly.

"It's what we do," Shikamaru smirked. "You guys forgot about the life of a shinobi?"

"Never," Kyoko stated.

"How'd you allow us to cut class?" Nami questioned.

"Easily. We just forged your parents' voices and announced you'd be going home for some important family business, a doctor's appointment, and dentist's appointment."

"You _forged _our parents' voices?!" Midori gasped.

"Nice call," Nami winked.

"How'd you know our parents?" Kyoko said.

"I already told you. We were watching you for some time."

"Well then, one more question," Midori said, "What are you doing here?"

Marieke's face turned serious, eyes penetrating through the three seemingly all at once. "We came for help."

"Help?"

"Yes. Girls, our world is in grave danger, and we are in dire need of your help."

"What could we possibly do?" Midori asked.

"You three know what happens in our world before it happens," Marieke said. "Which means you have information about Akatsuki, correct?"

"Yeah…" Kyoko nodded.

"We need to know everything you know about them," Marieke explained. "They're a threat to every nation, and they must be stopped before their plan, whatever that may be, unfolds. Your knowledge of them could be the difference between a hundred deaths to one. If you know what you say you do, then I'm sure you know the situation we're in. Will you assist us?"

The girls looked at each other, and all seemed to mutually decide on the answer.

"You came all this way to ask us," Midori said.

"You want us to help you out," Nami nodded.

"So how could we possibly say no?" Kyoko smiled.

Marieke smiled.

"So what do you want us to do?"

"Simple," Marieke said. "Just conduct the same jutsu you did two and a half years ago. The three of us will follow after you."

"You mean make new info cards?" Kyoko translated. She and Nami simultaneously turned to look at Midori.

"What?" Midori demanded.

"Make us look cool, Midori-chan," the two beamed.

Midori sighed. "You got any pencils?"

* * *

A short chapter to a potentially long fanfic! Thanks for reading, and R&R please! 

And yes. This time around, the fic is rated T. That means more cussing, blood, and all that good stuff. First chapter cookies to everyone! (Tosses out virtual cookies) Yay!

-HM


	2. A New Beginning

ARGH. FF is being SO MEAN TO ME today. I was trying to upload my flashdrive documents but it WOULDN'T LOAD so I had to copy/paste this chapter. (sigh) So anyway...

THANKS FOR THE REVIEWS EVERYONE! I'm happy with the number, and I hope I can reach 100 as easily as the first story! As a sidenote, I'm pretty sure that I won't be able to get any Sneak Peeks for this story at least until...next chapter. Maybe. Sorry about that...

I can't believe I didn't notice that my summary said "Two and 12 years" O.O Gawd. I really have to start paying attention more...Stupid FF...taking away my slash sign...

My brain hurts too much to remember if I have anything else to say so...enjoy the chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

Marieke had informed the girls that their time limit was three days which ended at 6:00 PM. Therefore, they were to leave that night. That meant Midori had a lot of work to do… 

While Midori had Nami's room to herself so she would be able to work in peace (she had grown tired of Kyoko and Nami's chatter to "let me do this" and "don't forget that"), the others were lounging in the living room catching up on the years they've missed.

"Shouldn't you already know what's happened, though?" Shikamaru questioned.

"Not really," Kyoko said. "It's kind of complicated, but two and a half years was skipped so we don't know…"

The three shinobi exchanged confused glances, but said nothing about it.

"What is it in this universe that allows you to know what happens in ours?" Marieke asked.

"Well…" Kyoko realized that if they found out about _Naruto _being a manga series, the plotline might be disrupted. After all, they hadn't even known of Marieke before they came to the Narutoverse several years ago. "We just know." She shrugged.

Nam mentally slapped her forehead.

Obviously that answer didn't suffice, but Marieke wasn't about to say anything…yet. Instead she said, "How long will it take for Midori to finish your equipment?"

"I'm thinking three hours at most," Nami answered.

"_Three hours_?"

"She's a perfectionist when she wants to be," Nami shrugged. "If it isn't good enough to her, she'll redo it. I bet she's changing everything right now."

Inside Nami's room, Midori sneezed. "Oh geez…NOW I HAVE TO START OVER!"

The group flinched in unison.

Several hours later, the sun had started to go down, radiating a mixture of red and orange into Nami's room where Midori was writing on the back of the last index card. A can of Sprite sat next to her on the floor, and her back was to Nami's bed. Wads of crumpled paper and muddled sketches were scattered around her. It was apparent she had changed her mind quite a few times…

"No, no, no…" Midori muttered, erasing the words she recently wrote. "That won't work…"

"Still working?"

Midori glanced towards the doorway to see Neji leaning against the doorway, looking amused.

"Yes. Yes I am," she answered.

"Why does it take you so long to draw three images? Even the writing shouldn't take this long."

Midori raised an eyebrow. "I don't suppose _you _know how to draw, Hyuuga Neji."

Neji shook his head.

"I didn't think so." She smiled. "I'm almost done though. You guys won't have to wait much longer."

"Good to hear," Neji said.

Silence fell between them, and Midori continued scratching the pencil tip against the paper. Unbeknownst to each other, they both had something on their minds, and they weren't too far from the same subject. What had happened two and a half years ago wasn't easily forgotten. Midori wanted to ask about it, but she thought it would be too awkward. Neji couldn't find the right words, and after two and a half years, he wasn't sure if things were the same.

"Midori—"

"I'm—" Midori closed her mouth in embarrassment. "Oh, sorry. Did you want to say something?"

"Er, maybe later," Neji answered uncouthly. "You were about to say something."

"Yeah," Midori nodded, holding up the three cards as if she were about to perform the old magic card trick. "I'm done."

The time was fifteen minutes to six. They had plenty of time to spare. Midori had requested for Nami and Kyoko to wait until they came to Konoha to study their cards, but their eyes were already darting across their small cards in a mesmerizing way.

"All right, girls," Marieke said, gaining the threesome's attention. "Perform the jutsu."

Nodding simultaneously, they put their hands together. Now that they knew what they were doing, the girls were determined to do this gracefully, especially with people watching. The names of the hand seals flashed through their minds as they performed them. _Dog. Tiger. Serpent._

Together, they tapped their index and middle fingers to the thick paper and instantly they emitted a burst of white light.

The feeling was extraordinary. Last time, the girls had been unconscious when the jutsu was conducted accidentally. This time, they were conscious of everything going on around them.

It had the same feeling of falling through the sky; free and exhilarated. However, they felt somewhat exposed for several seconds whence the light surrounding them seemed to burn away their clothes. Soon after, however, comfortable covering had stretched over their bodies as if by magic. The last accessory pulling itself onto each of their foreheads was the familiar hitai-ate.

And then it was over.

The first person who spoke was Nami.

"HELL YEAH!"

As she and Kyoko jumped up from the ground and started dancing around together, Midori brushed herself off and adjusted her forehead protector. Even though they had known where they were going as soon as their fingers had touched the cards, their landing was still iffy.

_At least we landed together, _Midori thought.

Kyoko spun around, her vaguely longer hair flying, and looked down at her clothes with a huge grin on her face. She liked what she saw. A loose, blood red shirt with billowing mid-length sleeves was the top layer of a full upper-body shirt of mesh. Black arm bands criss-crossed over her arm's netting, stopping right above her knuckles. She wore the standard black pants and more nets peeked out around the exposed parts of her legs. On her feet were black Suna shoes. A single black choker was wrapped around her neck, and finally, two tan straps (one with a Suna hitai-ate tied on) crossed over her chest, holding up a medium-sized scroll against her back.

"Wait a minute…" Midori said, studying Kyoko. "I didn't put a Suna band on…"

"Er, uh...Your clothes are nice, Midori!" Kyoko said nervously.

Midori sighed. Her ensemble consisted of a green kunoichi dress with two sets of purple buttons reminiscent of Tenten's old top and two slits up the sides. Bandages crossed over her shoulders and ended above her elbow where long, green gloves replaced them. She wore black shorts underneath which were followed by bandages that were bound around her knees and then knee-high black shinobi boots. A belt was hanging off of her waist with several compartments: one suspended over her left leg, one on each side of the waist, and one on the back adding to the back pouch. The Hikari Suishou swung from a black band tied around her neck simply because Midori found the previous technique of tying it on a loose string much too impractical and easily stolen.

"You did a pretty good job," Nami agreed. "But I think my hair should've been shorter."

"Any shorter and you'll look like a guy," Midori countered.

It was true. Nami's hair, which was in two layers (top layer red, bottom layer blond) was barely hovered over her shoulders. She had on a white two-inch tank top with an orange kanji for "Fox" written across the chest with an explosion of fire coming from behind. Dangling on her wrists were twin red wrist bands with buckles that matched the one residing on her neck. A red belt hung off her waist over her black pants and two silver rings simply for decoration circling around her right arm.

Before Nami could retort, Marieke, Shikamaru, and Neji appeared.

"Welcome back, girls," Marieke beamed, opening her arms wide. "To Konohagakure no Sato."

"It's good to be back, sensei," Kyoko grinned.

The group was supposed to go straight to the Hokage's office as soon as they arrived. However, they didn't count on some minor interference within the village…

"Nami? Kyoko? Midori? Is that you?" came a voice from behind.

"Ino!" Midori exclaimed.

Ino's eyes widened. "I can't believe it! You guys _actually came back_!"

"I hope you're saying that with a positive intention," Midori said.

"It's just that I—none of us—have seen you for practically three years! There's so much you've missed!"

"Ino, we're kind of busy," Shikamaru said wearily. "We've gotta check in with the Hokage."

"Yes, yes, just a minute, Shikamaru!" Ino said, turning back to the girls. "I've got to tell you _everything _that's been happening. I've got some juicy details about _some people_…" She winked.

Nami raised an eyebrow. "Oh really?"

The two blond girls' stares seem to target Shikamaru.

Shikamaru slapped his forehead and muttered, "Troublesome."

"We should really get going," Neji said hastily. "Hokage-sama is waiting."

Ino waved goodbye and skipped off to tell everyone the news of the three girls' return. It would only be a matter of time until the whole village found out.

They reached the Hokage Tower a few minutes later, greeted by none other than Izumo and Kotetsu.

"Well, well, well, look whose back," Kotetsu remarked with a grin.

"Izumo-san, Kotetsu-san," Midori bowed. "It's good to see you."

"Hokage-sama is expecting us?" Marieke said.

"Yes," Izumo nodded. "Right this way."

Marieke, who was in the lead knocked on the Hokage's door before twisting the knob to reveal Tsunade, quickly shutting a drawer at her desk and looking towards them. Her smile held a certain approval. "I take it the mission was a success."

"BAA-CHAN!"

There was no way Tsunade was ready for the glomp that Nami and Kyoko were giving her.

"Guys!" Midori called, embarrassed.

"Hey Kyoko, I do believe her jugs got bigger."

"Really? I don't know…"

Tsunade grew red. "GET BACK OVER THERE," she barked dangerously.

The two shuffled back into their places and awaited instruction, grinning deviously.

Tsunade took a deep breath and said, "I _was _going to say it was nice to see you girls again, but I'm starting to think not…"

"Tsunade-sama, we were told that we were needed for information," Midori said, trying to get back on track. "But I have to warn you we only know a handful of information about the Akatsuki."

"Any information would be helpful," Tsunade said. "There are more things on the line than you know, but I won't push you today. I expect you're considerably tired, so I will let you rest. When I need you, I'll send for you, all right?"

"Much appreciated," Midori smiled.

Tsunade nodded. "Marieke, Shikamaru, Neji, a job well done. Everyone may leave now."

"Thank you." The group bowed and exited the room.

* * *

Eh...Sorry for the three boring paragraphs. I was reading this book and it had about a whole page of description about the main character's clothes. Now THAT was troublesome. So I tried to sort of condense the descriptions, but I think they're still kind of an eyesore, even for four or five sentences each. Oh well...

R&R please! Oh, my aching head...

-HM


	3. Tis the Wonderful First Day

Thanks so much for the reviews, everyone! Reviews make Midori a very happy girl.

I can't believe I actually cranked out this update. Truthfully I had a major writers block all week and then I decided to just go with whatever pops into my head...so...HERE IS CHAPTER 3!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

The first thing Midori wanted to do was go back to their old apartment to clean up. However, Nami and Kyoko had other plans…

"Well, I'm off to Suna!" Kyoko announced as she started to march in a random direction. She was promptly choked by her shirt collar which Midori had a firm hold on.

"Idiot, you can't just go off to Suna!" Midori chided. "Even if you knew where it is, and I'm not saying you do, we still have some business to take care of around Konoha!"

"Like what?" Kyoko questioned.

"Like _stuff_! We need to clean the apartment then _buy _things for the apartment then buy new things for _us_!" Midori rambled. "We need the necessities, especially since we're older and need to be more responsible! Iruka-sensei won't do everything to accommodate us the way he did when we were twelve! Coming back to Konoha isn't so easy you can just act like everything's been pre-made for your convenience!"

Kyoko pouted. "Yeah, well—hey! Where's Nami?"

---

As soon as Midori had started her reprimanding, Nami had bolted. There was no way Miss Apposition would stop her from having the time of her life. After all…She was BACK and ready to have some FUN. Oh yes…

"HELLO KONOHA!" she cried from atop a pole. "KAWA NAMI IS BACK AND IN ACTION!"

"SHUT UP OUT THERE!" a nameless civilian screamed, tossing an out-of-range shoe at Nami.

Nami made a face and slid down her perch like a fireman. She had no idea what time it was, but judging from the sky, it would get pretty dark soon. Hopefully she'd be able to see everyone she had planned before everyone decided to turn in for the night. Luckily for her, the first person was standing across the street near a display behind a glass window.

The teenager bounded then leapt into the air, feet leaving the ground and tackled the silver-haired man, smashing his face against the window.

"Kakashi-sensei!"

"Iphmooph," Kakashi said incoherently, for his face was now filled with sidewalk gravel.

Nami hopped off of the jounin's back and looked at him with a grin. "'Sup, sensei!"

"It's you," Kakashi said indifferently. "I see that Marieke's mission was a success."

"Is that all I get?" Nami demanded, arms akimbo.

Kakashi raised an eyebrow.

"Oh…I get it," Nami said slyly. "You're just depressed because you don't have your favorite students anymore…"

"Well you haven't changed a bit," Kakashi said stiffly. He was, without a doubt, offended.

"Sorry," Nami said a little too slowly. Maybe that had been going kind of far…

"Yes, well, I have some business to take care of," Kakashi said, glancing back in the window.

Nami peered into the window and raised an eyebrow. Showcased in the window was an exuberant sign with the words _Icha Icha Tactics: Volume 1 Coming soon! Can YOU Handle the Heat?_

Kakashi sighed with yearning. "Yes…Yes I can…"

"That's just wrong. And it's not even out yet, sensei!" Nami said, annoyed. "Besides, I wanted to ask you something!"

"Oh? And what's that?"

"Can you teach me Chidori?"

Kakashi hesitated. "Why do you want to know Chidori?"

"I want a wide range of abilities," Nami explained. "And Chidori's just the jutsu to have at the back of my mind. If Sasuke can do it, I can. So, you wanna teach me?"

"No."

"Good, because I think I can get it in—WHAT? Did you just say _no_?"

"Yes."

"Yes?"

"No. The answer is no," Kakashi confirmed as he started to walk away.

"Why not?" Nami demanded. "I'll learn Chidori easy!"

"That's not the point," Kakashi said. "Chidori just isn't your style. Besides, I don't think you'd be able to handle it. You've seen what it's done. I'm not about to teach another person Chidori."

Nami scowled. "Oh really?"

"Yes, really."

"Then mind telling me what my style is?" Nami challenged.

"You have your own sensei, ask her," Kakashi said. "After all, _you _aren't my student."

"Kakashi…" Nami groaned. But before she could protest any longer, Kakashi vanished, leaving a white puff of smoke in his place. "Damned Kakashi…" she muttered, and took off. If he wasn't going to teach her any techniques, Marieke would have to do. But what exactly _could _Marieke do?

It was then Nami realized that neither she nor her teammates knew much of Marieke's skill other than summoning specialties. Certainly Marieke had other techniques up her sleeve, right? A jounin of her stature would be able to have some variety, especially Marieke.

Nami mentally kicked herself for not asking her old sensei when she had the chance.

"Time to grease these idle hinges," Nami said as she 'loosened up'. Then, with a hefty leap, she disappeared.

---

Learning from past experience in the Narutoverse AND real world, Midori and Kyoko had decided not to search for their mischievous friend. But that didn't mean Midori wouldn't rant a little.

"Damn—" Kyoko said monotonously. Her eyes were following the raging Midori pace across the dusty apartment.

"—It!" Midori shouted. "What the—"

"Hell—"

"—Does she think she's doing? We get back and she decides she wants to go missing! What a pain in the—"

"—Ass," Kyoko said.

"Is she even serious? Just you wait, Kyoko! When she gets back, she'll make up some crap when she gets home so I don't kick her sorry—"

"—Ass." Kyoko sighed. She had been filling in what Midori had deemed 'bad words' for the last four minutes, which was three minutes and fifty-nine seconds too long for her liking.

"Midori," she said, "Are we done? Cuz I kind of wanna go to Ichiraku's before it closes."

Midori stopped in mid-step and sighed. "Yeah, fine. I'll just—"

SLAM!

"—Clean…the apartment…alone…" Midori frowned.

---

Nami found out that Marieke had been called on another mission a while after she came back. Annoyed beyond belief, Nami proposed that she would interrogate her sensei the following day. But for now…She was hungry.

"This is so much better than that crappy ramen at home!" Nami exclaimed as she detached her chopsticks and gazed into the steaming bowl of noodle-y goodness. "Itadakimasu!"

Teuchi shook his head, smiling. "If I wasn't looking at you here and now, I wouldn't have believed you girls had come back."

"It's amazing!" Ayame admired.

Nami grinned. "Sure is." She lifted her bowl and started slurping the ramen ravenously, turning around in her seat to watch the late passerby walking around the streets. Konoha hadn't changed, at least in its friendly demeanor. The village was peaceful and calm, a feeling Nami was sure Midori had missed. But she would have a lot of work to do to offer Konoha a few moments of chaos each day. She smiled at the thought.

It was then her eagle eyes darted towards a trio she recognized. Actually, it wasn't hard to spot them. After all, one had his arm hooked around the neck of a massive white dog. The sight was so overwhelming the ramen in Nami's mouth went down the wrong way, causing her to start hacking noodles while running over to the three. This gained Team Eight's attention.

"Quick, she needs the Heimlich Maneuver!" Kiba hollered.

"Then do it," Shino urged.

"O-Okay! I don't know if I remember how but…" Kiba jumped behind Nami and awkwardly wrapped his arms around her waist.

Eventually, Nami shot the repulsive-looking food out of her mouth. Coughing, she spluttered, "You…You guys! Hi!"

Team Eight exchanged uncertain glances. Hinata was the first to say something.

"A-Are you all right?" she asked.

"Yeah, yeah! No problem!" Nami said, beating her chest enthusiastically. "Really! But look at _him_!" She walked over to Akamaru and placed a hand on his head. To do this, she had to stand on her toes because he was sitting up. "Akamaru's on steroids!"

"No he's not!" Kiba protested, "He's a growing dog, right Akamaru?"

Akamaru barked.

"That's right," Kiba nodded.

"I'll pretend like I understood that," Nami said, causing Kiba to roll his eyes. "So, how've you guys been?"

"W-We heard that you were b-back," Hinata explained with a smile. "I-I'm glad."

"Where're Midori and Kyoko?" Kiba questioned.

Nami paused for a second. "Uh…well, they're busy. You know, jumping universes, long day."

"Ooooh. And you're not tired?"

"Me? _No_! 'Course not!"

"Ah well, we just came back from training," Kiba shrugged. "We're pretty tired out, right guys?"

Hinata nervously smiled and Shino just stood there, hands in pockets.

"Yeah well, Hinata is," Kiba said. "I could go all day without rest, but you know Hinata."

Nami smirked. "Of course. But before you guys go, let me ask Shino something."

Kiba and Hinata glanced at Nami, then at Shino curiously. Shino's expression didn't change…not that anyone could tell anyway.

"Are you bald?"

Shino stared at her and Kiba stifled his laughter. Nami had a genuinely curious smile on her face.

Then, Shino walked away.

"Hey, wait!" Nami called. "Shino!"  
"Oh…He's mad at you now," Kiba said.

"How can you tell?!"

"He just gives off that vibe, s'okay," Kiba shrugged. "Well, come on, Hinata, before your dad murders me."

"O-Okay," Hinata said. She waved delicately at Nami and scurried off after Kiba.

"Same old Hinata," Nami sighed. "I wonder if she's gotten any stronger…?"

---

Midori was muttering incoherently as she scrubbed at a particularly stubborn stain. The dust that settled many years before had been cleared, but underneath the furniture it was still caked with things Midori didn't even want to think about at the moment. Crawling around Cinderella-style wasn't how she pictured her first day back in the Narutoverse. Oh no, it was _much _worse.

She had said herself that there would be much work to do right when they took their first steps in Konoha, but it was easier said then done. What she wouldn't give for a little entertainment…or maybe someone to talk to…

"MIDORI-CHAN!"

"EEK!" Midori screeched as she banged her head against the bottom of the table. Rubbing the egg forming atop her skull, she crept out and came face-to-face with a pair of bright orange legwarmers.

"Welcome back, Midori-chan!" Lee said, offering her a hand.

Accepting his hand and standing up, Midori winced at how much taller Lee had grown. Before, he beat her by a few inches. _Now _he was just a few inches behind Neji's height, which had far exceeded her own puny stature. Maybe she should've made herself taller…

"Hi, Lee-kun," Midori smiled, despite the throbbing lump on her head. "What brings you here?"

"Just stopping by to greet you and your friends!" Lee explained. "Where are Kyoko-san and Nami?"

"Not here, that's all I know," Midori sighed.

"Oh, so you are tidying up all by yourself?"

"Well, yeah, looks like it."

"NO!"

Midori jumped from the boy's sudden outburst. She suddenly found Lee's arm around her waist, the other arm pointing towards the sunset. What scared her was that it was actually night and perhaps her brain was starting to dysfunction.

"No one should have to work alone!" Lee declared.

"It's just cleaning…"

"NO!" Lee repeated. "I shall assist you, Midori-chan! I will not let you clean alone!" He clenched his fist. "Believe me, I have tried before. It is not pleasant."

"Um…okay…" _Me and my big mouth…_

---

"Ah…Ichiraku Ramen! My favorite!" Kyoko squealed gleefully.

"We saw Nami here earlier," Teuchi said, wiping up the table. He looked a bit disgruntled. "We were wondering where you and Midori were."

"Nami?" Kyoko said, confused.

"Yeah. I guess you've come to pick up her tab, right? Here.'

"EEEHHH?!"

---

"What the hell was that?" Nami said, looking around. "Sounded like cats on a chalkboard." She dismissed the recent noise and looked up into the sky, which was dotted with millions upon millions of little stars. Deciding it was about time to go home, Nami started heading for the old apartment.

On her way back, she passed Ichiraku again, where Kyoko was digging through her pockets for some extra cash. Unfortunately for Nami, Kyoko spotted her before she could sneak away.

"NAMI!"

"RUN AWAY!"

Kyoko shot off towards Nami, grabbed her by the shoulders, and shook like there was no tomorrow. "GIMME SOME CASH BEFORE I MURDER YOU!"

"Okay, okay! Don't hurt me!" Nami squeaked as she stuck her hand into a pocket and pulled out some money.

Kyoko snatched the bills and stomped back over to the shop, slamming the money down and saying with a cheerful tone, "You folks have a nice evening!" Then she grabbed Nami's collar and dragged her home.

Once the two arrived at the apartment, odd noises seemed to leak through the door. Some banging, a few groans, some shuffling…

"Maybe there are burglars inside…!" Nami whispered, horrified.

"And they're holding Midori hostage!" Kyoko said quietly.

"On three," Nami stated as she lifted her leg slowly. "One…two…THREE!"

BAM! The door flew right off its hinges the moment Nami's foot connected with the wood.

"ARGH!"

Midori, who was asleep on the couch, woke up with a start. "WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK YOU'RE DOING?"

Nami and Kyoko looked around. The room was clean…_sparkling_, save for the trail of debris the door (which was embedded into the opposite wall) made. A grunt came from behind the door and Lee flopped onto the ground.

"Lee!" Nami and Kyoko exclaimed, running over to him.

"Are you okay?" Midori asked worriedly.

"Peachy," Lee said, raising a weary thumbs-up.

"Thank God." She glared at Nami and Kyoko and said, "What were you, drunk or something?"

"_No_!" the two shouted.

"Well _you _guys are fixing the door," Midori said as she helped Lee onto the couch.

"We were _just _trying to save you from burglars!" Nami protested.

"What idiot would break into a ninja's home? And you think I wouldn't be able to take them?"

"I think we offended her," Kyoko whispered.

"No, you think?"

So, Kyoko and Nami had the job of fixing the door which took approximately three hours. They were finally able to flop back into bed late at night, sleeping like rocks in their rooms filled with preteen rubbish. Tis the wonderful first day back.

* * *

All done for today! Just a little "down-time" chapter until Naruto gets back, which is in the next chapter, I assure you! Now I have some more stuff to take care of...like keeping AizoAnime alive! (rolls up sleeves) Okay. Here I go.

R&R please! Thanks for reading!

-HM


	4. Reunion

Hikari Midori-chan here! My hands have been pretty full for some time, and I kind of have to catch up on school work and...things. However, you know I'll try to update every week, even if its late. I might even have to move update day to Saturday (THE HORROR) but we're all very flexible, aren't we? Actually, I had this done around Friday night, but then I never had any time on the computer...Sorry.

I got a good number of reviews last chapter, so I'm happy about that! Thanks so much, everyone!

I didn't have all that much inspiration while writing this chapter, so if its kind of iffy, that's probably why. (sigh) Anyway, here's Chapater 4!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

Kyoko thought she was the first one up but found she was mistaken when she saw the note along with a bundle of money on the kitchen table. She automatically picked up the note and started reading. It said: 

_Nami and Kyoko,_

_Went to see Shizune-sensei. Here's some of the money I had in my pocket for lunch and after school that transformed after the jutsu. DO NOT SPLURGE ON ANYTHING UNNECESSARY. That means YOU, NAMI. _

_Midori_

"You didn't leave enough to splurge anyway," Kyoko muttered. "Oh!" Realization hit her like a brick. She remembered that the three had planned to hang out at the mall after school on the day they came back, so she _must _have had money with her! Then…why were her pockets empty?

"Oh…" Then she remembered she had only brought along a few dollars because she had spent most of her money several days before on a short vacation trip. And besides, Midori always received money from her parents when she went shopping no matter what, and if she was badgered enough she'd buy Kyoko and Nami something. And of course, her original cash had gone to her ramen…as well as Nami's…

Just then, Nami walked in, rubbing her eyes sleepily.

"Speak of the devil," Kyoko sighed.

"What?"

"Midori left us some money," Kyoko said. "She says not to splurge, but there's only enough for breakfast, I think."

"Eh…She probably has it stashed somewhere," Nami shrugged, looking around the room. "If I know her, it's probably under her nightstand or something."

Kyoko smirked. "Wanna go check?"

---

Midori suddenly twitched.

"Something wrong, Midori-chan?" Shizune asked.

"Er…no," Midori said, turning back to the bird she was healing. She had been with Shizune for about the whole morning. So far, she nor Kyoko or Nami had been summoned for interrogation of Akatsuki or their motives. Figuring that she needn't say more than required, she hadn't asked about when they would be questioned.

Shizune smiled as the small bird sprung to life, immediately flapping its wings and searching for an open window. "So I suppose its true how you've acquired the abilities of a medical ninja. Would you mind if I asked you something?"

"Not at all, sensei."

"This card…" Shizune said, looking down at Midori's new info card. "If it would be so easy for you to make yourself incredibly powerful, why didn't you? Why write that you'd continue training under me?"

"Because," Midori answered, "Why should I make myself more powerful than I really need to be? And besides…I kind of like having a sensei to teach me. I already took a huge shortcut the moment I got here, so I don't really feel like cutting anymore corners, and I'm fairly sure Nami and Kyoko aren't planning to either."

"I understand," Shizune nodded approvingly.

"By the way…" Midori said, turning around, "Where are Tsunade-sama and Sakura?"

"Oh my, I think they're out," Shizune said, eyes widening. "I'd almost forgotten. Tsunade-sama says Naruto has returned!"

"Naruto!" Midori gasped. "Sensei, mind if I go early?"

"No, no, go ahead," Shizune said. "I need to take do some paperwork anyway."

After thanking Shizune, Midori slipped out the door and entered the hallway. She was eager to surprise the blond, whiskered boy first. Once she started to sprint outside, however, she abruptly ran into something and fell backwards with little grace.

"Ow…" Midori groaned. "Sorry, I wasn't watching where I was go…ing." Her cheeks turned a light brush of pink.

"You've gotten a bit clumsier, haven't you?" Neji mused, holding his hand out to help her up.

"Wow, I hope not," Midori said, cracking a smile. "What are you doing here?"

"I was supposed to leave several documents from the Hyuuga with Hokage-sama," Neji explained.

"Shizune-sensei says that she's not in right now," Midori said, "But I think you can just leave them with her."

"Alright," Neji nodded. "Where are you off to in such a hurry?"

"I heard Naruto's back," Midori grinned. "I want to see him."

"Naruto?" Neji said, looking a bit surprised.

"That's right. Um…Do you want to come with me?" She hadn't forgotten the question she wanted to ask Neji, and she figured it would be a while before they were able to find Naruto. It would be the perfect time to ask disguised as casual conversation. That is, if everything went right.

"Sorry, but I have a few other things still needing to be done on my list," Neji said.

…_And everything goes wrong, _Midori mourned silently as if she was being rained upon. "Well um, I kind of want to talk to you about something, Neji. Do you think I could see you later?" If being sneaky was Plan A, being blunt was Plan B.

Neji's hand traveled the back of his neck in a slightly embarrassed manner. "Well uh…I have an extended mission that I'm leaving for tonight."

"Oh," Midori said, forgetting to hide her disappointment. "That can't be helped, I guess. Maybe afterwards then…"

"I'm very sorry," Neji said in a troubled way. "Definitely afterwards."

Midori smiled half-heartedly and then, to her own surprise, gave him a quick and awkward hug. Then, she turned and retreated.

---

Kyoko and Nami managed to find some of the money Midori had left in her obvious hiding spot. However, they figured that their predictable teammate must have taken the rest of the money with her in case something like this happened because there was still not enough for anything other than a nicer breakfast. Kyoko didn't mind, of course, because she loved ramen. But Nami didn't feel like eating ramen twice in a row, so she snatched the bigger fraction of currency when Kyoko was unaware and dashed out the door.

"Now…what to eat…what to eat…?" Nami pondered, looking around. She was about to enter a promising restaurant when she heard a familiar cry of immense pain. "Is that who I think it is…?" Curious, she ran in the direction of the commotion to find Sakura strangling a semi-conscious Naruto.

"Na…Otouto!" Nami called, gaining not only Naruto's lazy-eyed attention but everyone else's.

"Nami-neechan!" Konohamaru exclaimed. "I heard you were back!"

"That's right!" Nami said as she came over. Glancing over at Naruto, who had recovered from Sakura's chastising, and frowned.

"What? What's wrong?" Naruto questioned.

"Oh. Nothing." _Damn it, Midori! Why the hell did you make me so short?! _

"I didn't expect to see you here," Naruto said. "How'd you come back, huh? And are Midori-chan and Kyoko back too?"

"You know it," Nami said. "I'll fill you in later, okay? It's been a long time."

"Nami," Sakura greeted, "Tsunade-sama said you and the others got back yesterday."

Nami nodded then said, "_Someone's _feeling confident about themselves, hm?"

Sakura turned red and crossed her arms. "It's easier to move around like this."

"In those heels?" Nami raised an eyebrow. "Okay…"

"Well you haven't matured at all!" Sakura snorted. "Three years didn't do much."

Nami stuck her tongue out at Sakura. "Lighten up, Sakura-_chan_. I don't want to start a fight."

"You've got a unique way of showing it," Sakura said then cracked a grin that surprised Nami. "But if you ever _do _want to…don't hesitate. I'm interested to see what you can do now."

"Oh-ho!" Nami beamed. "Feeling up to a challenge? Got some new skills under your belt?"

Sakura just smiled, "One or two."

"I'm afraid I'll have to cut the conversation short," Tsunade interrupted. "Sakura and Naruto have some business with Kakashi, Nami. Do you mind?"

"Kinda, but whatever," Nami shrugged. Then she realized Jiraiya was standing idly by and a stroke of brilliance hit her. So, turning away so Kakashi and Tsunade could consult Naruto and Sakura, she looked over at Jiraiya and said, "Hey, Ero-Sennin!"

Jiraiya had gotten used to Naruto calling him Ero-Sennin all the time. He'd given up on protesting because it only used up unnecessary energy. "What…?" he sighed.

"You trained Naruto, right?" Nami said, "And he's really strong now?"

"Well, I don't want to brag, but he's come a long way," Jiraiya said proudly. "With my guidance, of course."

"What would happen if I were to tell you that as of now, you can take on a fabulous and dedicated new student?"

"I'd say you've got a screw loose."

"What?!" Nami demanded. "You don't want to train me?!"

"The great Jiraiya-sama doesn't train just _anybody_!" Jiraiya said in an overly dramatic mode. "Besides, you have your _own _sensei, do you not?"

"Yeah but…" Nami crossed her arms and pouted. She was about to say she couldn't find Marieke and that Jiraiya was a _Sannin _for crying out loud.

"But what?"

"But nothing!" Nami snapped. "Never mind!" She stalked off angrily, now determined than ever to find her sensei.

---

After having an average brunch of Ichiraku Ramen, Kyoko went wandering. Although it was pleasant in Konoha, something still bothered her. She knew that in just several days, there would be chaos in Suna. There were two things she could do to ease her troubles: 1. Tell Tsunade about the Akatsuki wanting to kidnap Gaara and send a team of Konoha shinobi early or 2. Go to Suna herself. The answer was obvious. If all three of them agreed to giving information about Akatsuki, then there should benefit; they _should _save as many lives as possible.

"Gaara…" Kyoko muttered.

"It's you!"

Kyoko blinked then spotted the figure standing several feet in front of her. Blond hair spiked in four pigtails, black dress, huge fan on her back…

"Temari!" Kyoko exclaimed joyfully as she ran over and spread her arms wide.

Temari just stood there as if not understanding what Kyoko wanted.

A vein pulsed off Kyoko's head and she hollered, "Hug me, damn it!"

The Suna kunoichi sighed and awkwardly returned Kyoko's gesture. Hugs weren't really her thing.

"I thought you and your teammate disappeared years ago!" Temari said, "How are you here?"

"We just came back," Kyoko said simply.

Temari shook her head in disbelief. "Unreal."

"How's everything in Suna?" Kyoko asked. "Is Gaara okay? How's he been? What's Kankuro been up to?"

"Whoa, whoa," Temari said, holding her hands up in the traditional surrendering position. "Slow down, will you? Everyone's fine."

"Temari, there's something really important I have to tell you," Kyoko said seriously. "I don't know exactly when it's going to happen, but Gaara's going to get kidnapped by an Akatsuki member named Deidara who'll take him back to the Akatsuki base to extract Shukaku from him and that'll kill him!"

"…What?" Temari's eyebrows rose, a look of concern on her face.

"Gaara's going to be attacked," Kyoko summarized. "Please, you have to let me come to Suna with you!"

"The rumors…" Temari muttered. "So you really _did _go back to your own world." When Kyoko looked confused, Temari said, "News reached Suna. It isn't difficult to pick up some rumors about allies. But are you positive about this?"

Kyoko nodded.

"Then I'm going to talk to Hokage-sama about this and send a message to Gaara."

"What about me?" Kyoko asked as Temari started to leave.

"Come with me," Temari said. "You'll have to explain to Hokage-sama what's going to happen."

The two of them headed straight for Tsunade's office where Madame Godaime Hokage was listening to Shizune giving her several reports. The moment Temari and Kyoko entered, Tsunade lifted her head and said, "What is it?"

"An interesting piece of information, Hokage-sama," Temari said, bowing. "I'd just arrived this morning from Suna, as you know. I ran into Kyoko, and she's told me something urgent."

---

It shouldn't have been difficult to locate Marieke, but as it just so happens, it was. Nami had searched and yet she hadn't seen her sensei at all. Getting fed up, she screamed, "WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU, MARIEKE?!"

"You screeched?" Marieke said, popping out of nowhere.

"What the—Where have you been all day?" Nami demanded.

"Around," Marieke said unhelpfully. In reality, she had been trailing Nami, whose skills in detection seemed to have faded. "I've heard you've been looking for me."

"Well, yeah," Nami said. "You've gotta teach me some new jutsu, Marieke!"

Marieke raised an eyebrow. "_Really_?"

"Is that sarcasm?" Nami frowned.

"No, not at all," Marieke said. "But haven't you gotten new jutsu already from the abilities Midori created?"

"Well yeah, but Midori's stingy!" Nami complained. "I need at least ten times as much as I know now if I wanna get anywhere!"

"Aren't we ambitious?" Marieke mused. "Well I _am _your sensei, so I'll continue to train you. Despite your unfaithfulness to me."

Nami's face flushed as red as a beet. Averting her eyes, she said, "Uh, good."

---

Kyoko explained the situation to Tsunade in detail. Shizune, who was standing off to the side, looked shocked at the soon-to-be news. After hearing the story, Tsunade said, "Shizune, send a messenger hawk to Suna summarizing what I've just been told."

Shizune nodded and stepped out of the room, Tonton at her heels.

"Tsunade-baa, let me go with Temari to Suna!" Kyoko requested. "I have to help."

"If the shinobi of Suna are aware of the attack, we'll be able to handle it," Temari said confidently. "There's no need to—"

"Temari!" Kyoko said firmly. "I haven't seen Gaara for a long time. And shouldn't we take extra precautions?"

Temari frowned slightly. "Are you saying you don't think Suna's capable of holding of two people?"

Kyoko stared at the ground and said, "No. Sorry. I guess I just wanted an excuse to see Gaara."

Hesitantly, Temari turned her attention to Tsunade and said, "It wouldn't be too much trouble to send a team to Suna with me, is it?"

Tsunade shook her head. "Kyoko," she said sharply, causing the girl to look up quickly, "You, Nami, Midori, and Marieke are going to accompany Temari to Suna."

"Really?" Kyoko gasped, her mouth breaking into a grin.

"Try not to look so eager," Tsunade advised. "Now prepare. I wish for you to take your leave in an hour."

"Roger!" Kyoko saluted and raced out the room.

---

"How depressing," Midori sighed. She was lying on her back atop a building, staring up at the sky blankly. Neji was a jounin now and she was a just a chuunin. There was already only a slim chance of her ever going on missions with him, and since she was a medical ninja, she probably wouldn't be sent on miscellaneous missions anyway. Shizune had told her that medics were usually only sent for backup or if the village was short on shinobi.

It was then she sensed a presence coming towards her, fast. She sat up just in time to see an older chuunin appear.

"Hikari Midori," he said, "You have a mission."

---

"We're going to Suna?" Nami clarified.

"Affirmative," the messenger nodded. "You leave in approximately fifty minutes."

"It looks like I'll have to train you in the field, Nami," Marieke said.

"That's the best way," Nami agreed with a grin.

* * *

And now it's time to develop some plot...rapture. 

Thanks for reading!

R&R please!

-HM


	5. Bodyguards

Good morning/afternoon/evening my friends! Sorry it took a little bit longer to update again. I've been up to my neck in homework and studying. I didn't think huge exams would come so soon...Oh well. Qui sera sera. Hope you all had a good week! Mine was okay, but now I'm really excited to throw my binder out as soon as the year ends (SO LONG!). Why? Not only does it kill my folders, but just the other day the rings snapped my finger when I was closing it (OWWWW!). Don't you hate when that happens? Well, enough with my ramblings and enjoy Chapter 5!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

"I'm surprised you were the first to give information," Midori remarked. 

"Yeah, well, Gaara's life is on the line," Kyoko said plainly. "There's nothing else to it."

They were traveling in a jumbled group: Temari leading, Marieke and Nami close behind, then Kyoko and Midori following up. Backpacks filled with the necessities were strung around their shoulders, ready for the three-day journey to Suna. They weren't expecting any action during the actual trip at all, especially since Kyoko confirmed that the attack wouldn't be made for several days at the least. There was plenty of time.

"Was it really a good idea, though?" Midori asked, lowering her voice. "I mean, I'm all for saving as many lives as possible, but a lot of things happen because of Gaara's capture. Naruto-kun, for example…"

The Uzumaki boy hadn't heard of Gaara's future kidnapping because only a few people including Tsunade and Shizune knew about it. It wasn't easy not informing him about the "big mission".

"Hey, we might be able to 'see the future', but it isn't like we can detect everything that'll happen," Kyoko shrugged. "They'll have their time to shine, right?"

"Yeah, I guess so." However, the "Midori's Intuition" was starting to make her mind boggle distractingly. Something was going to happen, she could feel it.

"What're you gonna teach me, huh sensei?" Nami questioned, excitement dancing in her eyes. "All I remember knowing about you is that you were good at summoning, but since you traveled around you must've picked up some other jutsu, right?"

"Good pick-up," Marieke nodded. "Of course I've come to realize my techniques aren't exactly your style, Nami."

Nami frowned. "What's all this about style everyone eating me on about? If I can master a jutsu, it doesn't matter what 'style' it is!"

"Maybe not, but then again, maybe so," Marieke answered. "But don't let it worry you because I have the perfect technique that I think you'll take a liking to."

Nami flashed a grin then turned her attention to the silent Suna kunoichi. "Oi, Temari! How ya doin'?"

"Fine," Temari replied. Her voice didn't suggest she was telling the truth.

"Hey, you've got the four best bodyguards in Konoha right here," Nami said, "don't worry about your brother."

Temari looked back for a second to smile then turned forward. "I hope so."

"'Four best bodyguards'?" Kyoko whispered.

"I'm short on material," Nami admitted.

A day passed uneventfully with rotating complaints from Nami and Kyoko about how long it was taking to get to Konoha. The second day was just as boring as the first as the only mildly interesting thing that happened was when Midori heaved from the mushrooms they found. After that, she insisted on starving herself if all they had were those nasty little caps. On the last day when they were sure they would get to Suna with no other problems, they were held up by a terrible sandstorm.

Temari pulled out five tan cloaks complete with hoods to protect them from the stinging sand and piercing winds until they could find any form of cover. They finally stopped by a small cave and hurried inside, brushing sand off their shoulders.

"Of all the rotten luck," Midori sighed, glancing outside glumly.

"Sandstorms have been becoming more and more frequent around this time," Temari explained. "They don't go on for extremely long, though. We'll be able to make it within the next couple hours."

"You sure you wanna live here?" Nami asked Kyoko with a raise eyebrow. "Sounds like a pretty crappy place to me."

Temari had the ultimate pissed-off face. "Well I suppose _some _of us have petty requirements to live."

"You wanna go?" Nami demanded hotly.

"Why's she picking fights with everyone all of a sudden?" Kyoko whispered to the other two kunoichi.

"Well my guess is that she's pumped to fight," Midori tried.

Marieke smiled under her mask. "I think you're right."

---

A faint knock was heard from the Kazekage's office, then a quiet "Come in." The middle Sand Sibling entered the room and saw his little brother standing with his back towards him, peering through the window. Kankuro leaned against the desk and said, "How're you feeling, Gaara?"

"Suffocated," Gaara answered. "There are too many guards now."

"Most have been posted along the boarders in case of attack," Kankuro reported. "It's for your own good, Gaara."

Gaara was silent. "When will they arrive?"

"They're scheduled for tonight," Kankuro said. "I'll meet them later. Come if you want."

Gaara shook his head. "I'm going out today; I'll do it." Without another word, he left.

Kankuro sighed as the door closed. "Sometimes I wonder about that kid…"

The Kazekage walked briskly towards a certain building: the only greenhouse in Suna. He received several excited waves from the few civilians outside before he went in. It was certain that there were several elites concealing themselves from his sight, but he didn't let that bother him.

"Oh! Kazekage-sama! I wasn't expecting you!" a man exclaimed, dropping into a clumsy bow. "Can I help you?"

Gaara put his hand up and shook his head, "That's all right. I'm fine."

"Yes, yes, of course!" Gaara couldn't tell if it was his presence that turned the man into a nervous wreck or if it was just his nature but he didn't dwell on the matter any further. He knew where he wanted to go. It was the section where the people of Suna stored the most fluorescent and stunning flora; mere decoration. This was also where Gaara had deposited the gift Kyoko had sent him so long ago before she left.

"_**Isn't it great?"**_

Gaara stared blankly at the bouquet wasn't as bright as it had been when he received it, and two and half years did unfortunate things to flowers, especially bouquets, but he still insisted on keeping it here. Nobody was going to argue with him.

"_**You know, the Hokage protected the village with all he had. I really respect that. Can you imagine? Giving your life to protect the people you love and care about."**_

It was odd. Gaara didn't remember thinking about what Kyoko had said when he became Kazekage. He wouldn't admit he had sort of forgotten her at times when he was overwhelmed with something or other. But on lonely nights when he would stay up while the village slept, he could still see her smiling face. Then the next morning…it would be gone.

Why was this? That was something he didn't know the answer to. All he knew was that now, she was back, and he would never have to forget her again.

But would she be the same? Was she the same Shimizu Kyoko? She who laughed at random things, she who would childishly cling to his arm and show him what she thought made the world a great place, she who would lose her temper over small and trivial details, and she who would always turn around with a beaming smile whenever she saw him? The girl who liked him for who he was two and a half years ago…the one who wanted to "be friends" when he was so unstable…was less than a day's distance away from where he stood.

Gaara was starting to have the same feeling he had gotten when he became Kazekage. He was eager as a young boy, ready to tear open his birthday presents. But no, the Kazekage couldn't freely show emotions like that. The poker face he'd acquired for so many years came in handy. No one would know about the butterflies in his stomach but him.

---

"This really brings back memories," Marieke said distantly.

"You've come to Suna before?" Temari questioned.

"For a while," Marieke shrugged. "But that was a long time ago."

"Temari!" called a voice.

There stood Kankuro and Gaara, side-by-side only several feet away. Before Temari could answer Kankuro's call, Kyoko was already halfway towards the two brothers, arms outstretched.

"GAARA!"

There was no way Gaara could've been prepared for the tackle Kyoko deemed a "hug". The force of the embrace nearly toppled the Kazekage over, but of course, he was a bit sturdier than that.

"Congratulations, Gaara! I'm so happy for you! You're Kazekage!" Kyoko squealed as she bounced up and down, still latching onto the Suna nin's shoulders.

_No normal person would act like this with a kage, _Kankuro thought, amused. "So you're back again. Great."

"Isn't it?" Kyoko grinned.

"I'm pretty sure he was being sarcastic, knucklehead," Nami said, whacking Kyoko with a friendly fist.

"It's good to see you both well," Midori said with a bow, "Kankuro-san, Kazekage-sama."

"Now that's more like it," Kankuro said as he pompously crossed his arms. His content smile fell downwards as he felt what seemed to be movement atop his head. Glancing up, he realized Kyoko and Nami were hovering on their tiptoes, playing with the points of his cap. "WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!"

"You'd think a seventeen-year old guy would grow up," Nami remarked, prodding the left "kitty ear" as if she could do it all day.

"You should talk!" Kankuro protested, quickly stepping away from the girls red-faced. He tugged on his hat affectionately. "You two know nothing."

Nami and Kyoko grinned toothily.

"Nothing yet, right?" Temari said, walking over to her annoyed brother.

"It's been pretty quiet," Kankuro shrugged. "Absolutely nothing. You sure this is the real deal? I mean…it's _that _girl who predicted it, right?" He gestured towards Kyoko who was rambling on happily towards Gaara.

"Well, yeah," Temari said. "But her teammates seem fine with it, as well as their sensei. I'm sure it isn't just an excuse to see Gaara again. Why would she need to lie?"

"I don't know," Kankuro admitted. "Girls are complex."

Temari sighed.

Temari was silent as she looked off into the distance.

"Gaara, do you like being Kazekage? I bet you've done a lot of great things to improve Suna! You have to tell me everything!"

Gaara wasn't used to Kyoko's bubbly demeanor, but it didn't bother him at all. He even cracked a thin smile and said, "All right."

Kyoko's smile got wider, if that was even possible. "I'm glad I got to see you again."

"In a few seconds, she'll start fantasizing what her children will look like, just wait," Nami whispered to Midori.

Kyoko turned around and made a whack for Nami, missing by a hair.

"Can't take a joke?!" Nami cried, running for cover behind Midori in an overly dramatic fashion. "I think you need to see a counselor."

"Shut up."

"Where will we be staying, Kazekage-sama?" Marieke asked productively.

"We've got everything set up right in there," Kankuro interrupted, pointing towards a large building a few minutes' walk away. "No need to worry."

"Then I think it's about time we turn in for the night," Marieke said. "Girls, tomorrow you'll have to wake up early to fulfill your duties as bodyguards, you know that, right?"

"'Course, sensei!" Nami said. "But first, we get some decent eats!"

"WHOOHOO!" Kyoko cheered. "FOOD!"

As the majority of the group marched off, Kankuro was left behind, a disgruntled look on his face. _Hell. On. Earth._

The rooms that Kankuro had led the four females to two small rooms that laid parallel from each other. Each room contained two beds, a nightstand, table, and bathroom. These were two of the three guest bedrooms in the Kazekage's mansion, and now that the girls had arrived, sleeping arrangements were needed.

"Who's the lucky person who's gonna room with me?" Nami called, placing her hands on her hips. She faltered when she noticed her sensei and teammates whistling away innocently. "You guys make me cry."

"Nonsense, Nami!" Marieke said hastily. "I'll room with you. Someone has to make sure you wake up early enough."

The team dispersed, heading to their temporary living arrangements.

Nami hopped in bed lazily and watched her sensei on the other, removing her mask. "Hey, sensei, what was your sensei like?"

"My sensei?" Marieke said thoughtfully. "He was a sly bastard who worked me to death."

"No…I mean…the other one."

"Oh. Well, let's see…" Marieke said thoughtfully. "I'm surprised you remember after all these years. Well, he was from Amegakure, to start. He was a kind man living in harsh conditions, and not a bad looker either. It was there I met him, and it was there he decided to train me."

"Amegakure?" Nami said, surprised. She remembered the shinobi from Ame in the Chuunin Exams, and from what she knew, they weren't anything to strut about. "Was he really strong?"

"Ones like him only come around when chances are lucky," Marieke said proudly. "I loved him like a father."

"What…What about your actual parents, sensei?"

"My actual parents…?"

The silence went on for so long Nami was about to tell Marieke to forget about it, but then the jounin spoke again, hesitantly.

"They were good parents," Marieke narrated. "My mother and father were good parents. Loved me, took very good care of me…so I guess it wasn't any surprise that I was too soft to be a good kunoichi. To put it bluntly, I was terrible."

_Sensei was a terrible kunoichi? _Nami thought. Marieke had said that she was below average in shinobi skills when they asked her about it before, but Nami couldn't imagine the powerful ninja she saw today was downright terrible.

"My parents didn't like the idea of me enrolling in the academy, and it was true I wasn't doing it to become strong. It was actually to get closer to my first crush as a child."

If Nami had been drinking water, she would've spitted it ten miles out. "What?" She couldn't help but form a grin. "You…You're not serious."

"I am," Marieke said, regretting telling her teenage pupil her life story. "But that's all in the past, really," she concluded suspiciously quickly. "You need sleep. Good night!"

"But—"

Marieke had already reached over and switched off the lights, enveloping them both in complete darkness.

"Sensei!" Nami received no answer from Marieke, so, giving up sleepily, she rested her head on the pillow. There was still so much Nami wanted to know, but for now, she could only wonder.

Her dreams were filled with young versions of Marieke, frolicking about with hearts above her head, yearning for the mystery boy who Marieke had loved and the man who helped Marieke with her worthwhile dream.

---

In the room occupied by Midori and Kyoko, the two girls were still lying awake, though in the dark.

"Did you see it, Midori? Gaara still likes me!" Kyoko said excitedly, unable to fall asleep.

"Yeah…yeah…" Midori yawned.

"I'm so happy."

"Good for you…"

"Hey Midori?"

"What?"

Kyoko turned over onto her side, trying to find her friend's outline in the darkness. "When do you think Gaara will be attacked?"

"I don't know…"

"Temari said that she was supposed to be leaving tomorrow, you know? And it was when Temari left that Gaara was kidnapped. Do you think that maybe Deidara and Sasori will come for him tomorrow?"

"Maybe…"

"Do you think we can stop them?"

"Maybe…"

"I don't want them to take Gaara away. But I don't know what the results of us meddling with the plot will be."

"Only time…will…tell…" Midori sounded as if she was having difficulty talking and another loud yawn was heard.

"Yeah, you're right. Things happen for a reason. That's why we're here, right? We're here cuz we're supposed to be." She waited several seconds for an answer then said, "Midori?"

The girl had already surrendered to dreamland.

* * *

I'm sure unloading a large bucket of mushy fluff on you guys...and its only the fifth chapter. Heh... Well, at least we're in Suna now, right? Even if this chapter was supposed to become pretty much the first chapter with some significant plot, it still feels a little filler-ish. Gaara's character is kinda hard to write right now...He's not a crazy psychotic twelve-year old anymore... 

In other news, I've been working on the NnJ Movie trailer, and it hasn't made me become insane...yet. I'm figuring that if I want good quality, I'd have to bunch the actual movie up into like ten parts...sigh...My computer is just meh. I've also thrown together a little crappy video I drew about 300 pictures for a year ago but never actually made into a movie...So, if you want to check out what I used to draw like on Paint (and maybe have a good laugh at the crappy corniness) then the link will be in AizoAnime under the Narutoverse no Jutsu section. And don't worry, the movie will have much better quality. :D Speaking of which, I think I'll have a sneak peek up by tomorrow, so check that out as well if you wish.

That's about it for today, so thanks for reading and R&R please! See you next time!

-HM


	6. Endurance

Sorry for the late update! My family and I were driving to my cousin's house last night and I had to finish the chapter today AFTER seeing a movie. Sigh...

Thanks for taking the time to review! I didn't get as many as I have been getting but we all have lives, right? I'm grateful to the people who have the time:)

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

"All right, girls," Marieke said, "this is how we'll do this. Since Kazekage-sama already has an assembly of hidden Suna bodyguards, we are the ones who will be the visible bodyguards to create the illusion that there are only a few. To make this fair, two people will take the morning shift, and two will take the night shift. Any volunteers for the first?"

Kyoko's hand shot up.

"Hey Midori, take the first shift, will you?" Nami whispered, nudging Midori. "I wanna train with sensei."

"All right," Midori said, suddenly curious as to what kind of training Nami had in mind. "I'll do it too, Marieke-sensei."

Marieke nodded and said, "Very well. We'll come to relieve you of your duty in several hours. Come along, Nami. Let's continue where we left off."

"Roger!"

"This'll be awesome," Kyoko said excitedly as she and Midori started heading towards Gaara's office. "With me as Gaara's bodyguard, _no one's _gonna lay a finger on him!"

"Oh, I don't doubt that," Midori chuckled. "Just don't be so overprotective. You know the action doesn't start for a while. I don't think anyone will try to attack him in the morning."

Kyoko slapped her forehead. "Dammit!"

Midori laughed then knocked lightly on the door. "Kazekage-sama, its Midori and Kyoko!" She opened the door after several seconds and went in after Kyoko.

"Good morning, Gaara!" Kyoko greeted cheerfully. "What're the plans for today?"

"A meeting," Gaara answered. "After that, not much."

"No paperwork or anything?" Midori asked, surprised.

"I finish paperwork quickly," Gaara said. "During the night."

Kyoko was ecstatic. If Gaara didn't have work to do, she'd be able to spend more time with him. _Nothing _could ruin this day. "Well, let's go to that meeting then!"

---

"There are a total of two phases that you must go through to achieve this jutsu," Marieke said. "You started the first phase in Konoha, which was the intense endurance training. We'll continue that until I find you're ready for Phase Two."

"Can't I just move straight to Phase Two?" Nami demanded. "I've got plenty of endurance already!"

"You think so?" Marieke said with a raised eyebrow. "Well then…we'll see about that."

Nami watched her sensei curiously as the older woman started a chain of hand signs. "Doton: Sekichuu (Earth Style: Stone Pillar)!"

Suddenly, a rounded, stone pillar erupted from the ground. It shot straight toward the sky like a rocket, stopping some seconds after. Nami estimated it to be at least twenty feet tall.

"What's this for?" she questioned.

"Training, of course," Marieke said. "I want you to first climb the pillar with your arms only. Your feet cannot touch the stone or you'll be forced to do it over the right way. You'll receive further instructions once you're at the top."

"What do you want me to do, walk on my hands?!" Nami huffed, crossing her arms.

"That exactly," Marieke nodded. "The jutsu I'm about to show you requires great chakra control as well as a strengthened upper body. So what are you waiting for? Go ahead!" She pulled out a timer and pushed the button on top. "You've got three hours."

Nami stared at the pillar hesitantly. _Only twenty feet, Nami. You can get this easy. _Gathering chakra into her hands, she placed her right on the stone, then left. Bending her legs to make sure her feet didn't come in contact with the stone, she started climbing shakily.

Perspiration started to gather on her face like a pressed sponge before she was even a quarter up. Her progress was slow, but she didn't want to have to tumble to the ground and start over. It wasn't long until she felt the pillar starting to rumble.

"Wh-What the hell?!"

The pillar shot another three feet upwards.

"What's the big idea?!" Nami screamed.

"Didn't I tell you?!" Marieke called, clearly amused. "Every ten minutes the pillar will rise higher! You can't take all day to do this, Nami! Speed it up or you'll never get there!"

"WHAT?!" Nami shouted in frustration and started to move her hands faster, pulling her body with increasing strain. _I shouldn't have had breakfast today…_ Nami thought, wincing.

Marieke laughed quietly to herself as she watched her disciple struggle. _Well, she hasn't fallen yet. That's a bit surprising…But the way she's gathered her chakra, I don't think it will be long before—_

"AAAAAHHH!"

THUD!

"Shit…" Nami clenched her teeth and rubbed her backside gingerly. "That hurt…"

"The clock's ticking, Nami," Marieke reminded her. "Another nine minutes and—"

"I know, I know!" Nami snapped. She muttered something about insensitive teachers and slammed her hands against the stone irritably once more.

---

Kyoko and Midori were silent throughout the meeting, each standing alongside Gaara who was the only one dressed slightly differently at the round table the meeting was held over. It wasn't hard for Kyoko to start nodding off, but she managed to stay awake after Midori screamed a bit in her mind, startling her half to death. Some of the superiors had stared at Kyoko strangely after she had jolted unsteadily, but Gaara moved the meeting on as if it were nothing.

The one man that constantly caught Kyoko's attention, however, was Yuura. When the meeting was adjourned and she, Midori, and Gaara were the only ones left in the room, she brought the subject of the man up.

"Gaara, you know that guy, Yuura?" Kyoko said to the Kazekage. "He's going to betray you. You have to make sure he isn't on guard duty today."

Gaara's features tensed for a second then said, "What exactly do you mean? Yuura is a valued shinobi who worked under the Kazekage for four years."

Kyoko shook her head. "He's going to betray you on Sasori's orders. Trust me."

Gaara contemplated the situation for a short while then said, "All right. I'll take care of it."

---

Marieke watched her pupil struggle up the pillar like an unsteady insect, and yawned. Her mind was starting to drift off; seeing her subordinate fail endlessly got old quickly.

"Sensei!" Nami called after the fourth fall. "Can't you give me a hint or something?"

"There are no hints, Nami," Marieke said, crossing her arms. "It's all endurance and endeavor."

The girl groaned openly, cracking her knuckles and springing onto the stone again like a feline. This was going to take a while…

_It's almost quitting time, _Marieke thought, glancing at the location of the sun for a second. Looking back at Nami, she smiled secretively under her mask. _She's actually getting close…much faster than I did…_

"_**What's the point of this, Bakuro-sensei?" A barely fourteen-year old Marieke groaned as she scaled the cliff, hands-only. "I want to learn summoning, not this!"**_

"_**You should broaden your knowledge of jutsu, Marieke," Bakuro, a dark-haired tall man said. "Summoning may only require a large amount of chakra and simple control, but you need other alternatives during a battle. You know that. Flashy techniques aren't everything." He walked a few steps against the cliff, following the slowly progressing Marieke with chakra-coated feet.**_

_**Marieke narrowed her eyes and said, "Mind telling me what I'm training for, then?"**_

"_**With the knowledge of learning a new jutsu, can't you find the determination to push onward?"**_

"_**No."**_

_**Bakuro laughed. "Well, don't worry. You're almost there."**_

Nami grunted with ever pull of her arm. Her muscles had tightened long before, and although she was out of practice, the sudden hard labor seemed to remind her of how training worked. But that only led her to one question: how could there not be a secret trick to the training? There was _always _a secret trick! Students _always _had to look underneath the underneath!

"_**Tell me the trick," Marieke ordered. "This is one of your deception tests."**_

"_**Nope," Bakuro shook his head. "Keep going."**_

_**Marieke groaned angrily. "Sensei!" **_

"_**Sorry, Marieke."**_

"This is bull…" Nami breathed. There _had _to be something she wasn't seeing.

She was now three-quarters of the way up the gargantuan cylindrical column. Eager to get to the very top this time, she quickened her pace, legs dangling dangerously close to the stone. Just when she felt like she was about to get there in a matter of minutes, a loud "BRING!" pierced the air.

"Time's up, Nami!" Marieke called. "Get down!"

"No!" Nami hollered as she continued to climb.

"You failed, Nami!" Marieke shouted, walking over to the pillar and staring upwards. "Give it a rest!"

"Shove it!" Nami retaliated. "I'm not done yet!"

Marieke watched silently as Nami continued to climb, gaining altitude steadily.

"_**Time's up, Marieke," Bakuro said. "Better luck next time, right?"**_

_**Marieke frowned. "Next time? No way, I'm finishing this now! I'm not about to do this again!"**_

_**Bakuro smiled. **_

"THERE!" Nami screamed as she grabbed the rounded edge of the top. Before she was able to hull herself up, however, the pillar started to crumble and she was falling straight towards the ground yet again.

The rubble rumbled to the floor followed by a frantic Nami who was still clinging to that one piece of stone. Once she hit the ground, she shakily fell off; landing in the dust, staring up at her sensei's satisfied face.

"W-What's that face?!" Nami demanded angrily. "And what's with the pillar breaking all of a sudden? Are you trying to _kill _me?"

Marieke shook her head. "I figured if your head would break the fall, you'd be all right."

Nami frowned. "That's not funny."

Marieke smiled fondly, "Don't frown, Nami. You've passed the first phase."

"…I _knew _there was some hidden meaning!"

"Did you, now?" Marieke said, feigning shock. "Well, how about you tell me what it is."

"Uh…Well, I don't want you to lag on your job as a sensei…" Nami said.

"The training was for your endurance, not success, though you would've succeeded eventually outside the time limit, I'm sure. You strove onward, which makes me believe you'll be able to master this jutsu."

"'Course!" Nami nodded. "So what about the second step? Tell me what I have to do!"

"We'll start that later. I'm sure you're very worn out."

"No I'm not!"

Marieke extended her index finger and lightly bumped Nami's forehead, causing her to fall backwards.

THUD!

"…Ow."

"Right now, you need to rest. Don't worry, we'll have enough time left before we take our shift guarding Kazekage-sama."

Nami groaned. "_Fine_."

---

Midori's day wasn't the best day she'd ever had. Sure, guarding Gaara was no sweat, and it was nice that Kyoko was having time to spend with the guy she'd wanted to see again ever since the day they left, but it got annoying after the umpteenth time. She felt out-of-place, and although she wasn't allowed to leave Gaara alone as security policy, she'd pick out any chance she had to "go to the bathroom" or "get something to eat for them".

They were now in Gaara's office again, and the sky was starting to darken. Midori was certain that she wasn't going to get any action today. She was sadly mistaken.

"Kazekage-sama!" a chuunin called frantically as he skidded to a stop. "Yuura-san has disappeared!"

"What?" Gaara said, eyes narrowing.

"He's gone to the border posts," Kyoko said solemnly. "I know it."

"I'll go to stop him," Midori said quickly. "Kyoko, you should stay here with Kazekage-sama."

"Send for an elite team to accompany her," Gaara said, turning to the chuunin who saluted and dashed off.

"Get ready," Midori whispered to Kyoko. "You-know-who might be showing up if I can't hold him off."

Kyoko nodded and said, "Be careful" as her friend followed after the chuunin.

* * *

Sorry for such a SHORT chapter. I'm preparing for the big battle scenes! DUN DUN DUN! Time to read some insanely good fanfiction with fights that lower my self esteem! YAY! (jk)

R&R please (and thank you)!

-HM


	7. Kankuro and Midori vs Yuura

Hi again, my readers! I'm back with another chapter of Narutoverse no Jutsu 2! The strange thing is that I'm relatively on-time AND I actually finished this chapter kind of early. I guess its the atmosphere or something, because I feel GREAT. Isn't it just wonderful to be alive? (sparkle, sparkle) Sigh:D

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

Midori ran alongside Kankuro; behind them followed a team of four other jounin. They were nearing the border posts of the Wind Country. The sun was peaking mountains in the distance; it would be night soon.

"Kankuro-san," Midori said, bringing the puppet master's attention towards her, "What are Yuura's abilities?"

Kankuro fell silent for a moment then said, "He specializes in taijutsu and ninjutsu, but he's known for one deadly technique that can take out countless people all at once."

Midori narrowed her eyes, "What technique?"

"It's a technique he made himself; one that only he's mastered," Kankuro continued. "He calls it the 'Senken Makaze(Thousand-Blade Devil Wind)' in which he controls the air around a space with his chakra and unleashes them towards as many targets as he pleases. The pierce of the wind is equivalent to a blade that can easily kill."

"Is it like your sister's jutsu?"

"Basically, but it's ten times more powerful," Kankuro answered. "In comparison, Temari's wind is nothing."

A drop of sweat rolled down Midori's face. _That's how powerful it is…_

The sound of bloody screams filled the air as they closed in towards the split in the step-like cliffs, the border posts. It was as if they were being tortured mercilessly, and that wasn't far from the truth.

Midori's breath quickened as Kankuro ordered, "Faster!"

Within seconds, Midori was witnessing the famous Senken Makaze Kankuro had been talking about. Yuura had just finished off another wave of Suna shinobi who were attempting to attack him, and with just a wave of his arms, the men dropped. Blood splattered from their open wounds in the arms, legs, and chest. More than half of the ninja assigned to the borders of the village were already dead and counting.

"Yuura!" Kankuro roared.

Yuura, who had been standing with the blankest look on his face, turned around. Red liquid belonging to his closest victim dripped down his face. "Kankuro-san." _It seems I've been found out._

"What do you think you're doing?" Kankuro demanded angrily. "Killing your own comrades? What's your purpose?"

"Since I can't let you live, I don't suppose it matters if I were to tell you I used to be in the Akatsuki," Yuura said eerily.

Kankuro tensed.

"You're awfully confident," Midori said. She glanced at Kankuro, who narrowed his eyes.

"No one gets away with betraying Suna," Kankuro growled, pulling the three scrolls off his back. "Karakuri Engeki (Puppet Performance)."

---

Kyoko paced the floor nervously, hands laced behind her back when Gaara came back into his office. She noticed immediately and said, "How are the preparations?"

"I've moved several other teams from the farther posts to come in for backup as well as Konoha like you suggested," Gaara answered. "Don't worry, everything will be fine," he added.

"I just don't want you to…" Kyoko trailed off.

"Nothing is going to happen to me," Gaara said quietly. "I promise."

Kyoko smiled and embraced him automatically. "I believe you."

Gaara stood quietly for a few seconds before he let his own arms return the hug.

Kyoko's smile widened affectionately. Gaara wasn't yet taller than her, but that didn't matter. It didn't matter at all.

---

"Let me handle this," Kankuro said to the others.

"Kankuro-san," Midori said as she started healing the nearest Suna shinobi. "You can't be serious."

"Leave it to me," Kankuro said. "If things get bad, you guys back me up. For now, get as many wounded shinobi out of here as possible."

"Roger!" the group chimed as they followed his orders.

Yuura sneered. "That was very unwise of you."

Yuura started a chain of hand signs, ending with several arm motions Midori didn't recognize. Sensing danger, Midori's hands rapidly produced hand seals as well. Summoning an immense amount of chakra into her hands, she slammed her palms into the ground.

"Senken Makaze!"

"Hikari Doumu (Light Dome)!"

Kankuro winced as an explosion sounded like an echoing siren. The piercing winds were swirling in his team's general direction, seemingly bumping against a thin force field raised high above his head that was at least twenty feet in diameter, covering the shinobi—dead or alive—within that space. Upon further inspection, he realized the barrier was chakra running through the air. He turned towards Midori who was kneeling on the ground with strenuous features.

"Nice trick—" he was interrupted by a sharp needle-like slash against his cheek. Blood started to slide from a cut as thin as twine.

"Careful," Midori said, "this barrier isn't completely sealed unless you don't want to be able to breathe. I've only softened the blows. You'd better think of a plan to stop this guy quick, Kankuro-san. I won't be able to keep this up for long."

Kankuro nodded then turned to the elite team of Suna shinobi saying, "Two of you work on moving wounded shinobi. Three of you stay with me. Here's the plan…"

Yuura watched his opponents suspiciously, contemplating what their strategy could possibly be. He knew his weakness well, but did that teenage brat in black know? Kankuro had seen his technique before. It wouldn't be surprising if he remembered that Yuura was only capable of doing it three times, and even after that, his chakra would be dangerously low.

_It seems I'll have to rely on my other abilities if I want to win, _Yuura thought.

Midori narrowed her eyes. "He's ceased fire," she said, her shoulders relaxing slightly. _What's he up to? _

Yuura waited. Just as he was starting to think they were stalling, his eyes caught sight of the thin chakra fizzle out of existence and a wooden figure, rushing towards him with frightening speed, mouth clicking. Leaping into the air, he barely avoided the assault of the puppet when a ninja came out of nowhere and attempted to slice his neck.

The traitor whirled to the side with the help of a gust of controlled wind and aimed a powerful kick at the Suna shinobi who faltered. He landed, only to be forced back up again by a second enemy. He delivered an impressive load of blows towards Yuura, but the more experienced shinobi was able to draw the other's blood through his stomach with a kunai.

Then another puppet, different from the first, came out of nowhere, and grabbed him from behind. It shoved him into its open stomach and closed the doors. The first puppet, Karasu, detached, revealing the hidden weapons in the various body parts. With one swoop, the weapons sliced into the narrow holes in Kuraori, the other puppet's body. A millisecond later, smoke started to erupt from Kuraori.

"Kage bunshin," Kankuro muttered. "Where's the original…?"

Suddenly, a gut-wrenching scream reached Kankuro's ears.

Midori had already turned around. A look of horror played on her face as a beastly figure meters away devoured the third ninja who had stayed with Kankuro. His head lay on the ground with empty eyes and a mouth opened in mid-scream. The beast ripped apart the poor man's body until it was unrecognizable. Then it raised its head, glowering.

It was hideous. The beast was disfigured with bulking muscles and hair sprouting in every visible place on its body. It had a snout similar to a dog's, though its nose was one of the only human-like features it head. Small, pointed ears crowned its head where bandages were starting to fall. Its dark, cat-like eyes darted from each ninja that was not yet dead.

"What…What the hell?" Kankuro said shakily. "What is this?!"

"Is that…Yuura?" the least-wounded jounin said in disbelief as he helped his comrade with the stomach wound.

Yuura arched on his massive hind legs then bounded towards the closest shinobi in a flash; Midori.

"Midori!" Kankuro shouted, thrusting his arms forcefully.

Sanshouo, his third puppet flew in front of the girl, blocking her from Yuura's vicious teeth. This gave Midori some reaction time to quickly gather chakra to her fingers. Darting skyward, she connected her chakra-laced fingers with Yuura's arched back. Her hand stuck as she flew over the beast's head in a flip. Then, abruptly, she thrust her arm over her own head inhumanly, hurling her opponent into the distance.

"Holy shit," Kankuro breathed, aghast. "You've sure changed."

Midori ginned and gave him the peace sign. "I hang out with Kyoko and Nami a lot. It's kind of impossible not to get influenced by them a little."

"Why the hell did Yuura turn into that…that THING?" one jounin questioned.

"I'm not sure," Kankuro said. "But I remember some years back when I was still a kid that there had been rumors of human transmutations going around in Suna…"

"You don't mean…" the wounded jounin interrupted, "That whack job who was condemned to death in prison for turning shinobi into monsters? _Yuura _was mixed in with that?"

"It's a possibility," Kankuro admitted.

"That's terrible…" Midori muttered.

"There's no time for sympathy," Kankuro said, glancing back in the direction Yuura had been tossed. "If he's really a result of those experimentations, there's no telling what he'll be able to do. My guess is superhuman strength or speed—"

Just then, Yuura appeared into existence before Kankuro, sweeping his clawed hands in the seventeen year-old's direction. Kankuro's reactions were quick, and he fell backwards to dodge the attack, though he wasn't able to come out completely unscathed.

Kankuro pulled Sanshouo in front of him to fend off against Yuura, Karasu quickly coming in aid. The puppet master slipped out of the brawl to a safer location.

"Is he possibly that fast?" Midori gasped. She had just finished healing the deep wound in the jounin's stomach. "He came out of nowhere!"

"I don't know," Kankuro replied, hands working furiously. "But this can't go on forever."

"I agree," Midori nodded. "Keep him at bay. The best way to fight an opponent like this is from a distance." She stood in a position with her body turned slightly; one hand stretched out in front of her while the other bent behind.

Bright chakra started to form into the familiar bow and arrow, preparing for a sharp shot. But before it happened, Midori's eyes widened. "What the—?"

* * *

I really screwed over Yuura...He really didn't have ANY abilities I know of, so that's just me and my improvisions...I kind of wish Kishimoto-sama gave a little info about him, but I suppose he wasn't the most special guy around. (shrug) Other than that, my writing style isn't bad, is it? I know there are a lot of people out there who can make battles these huge epic things, and I'd like some tips. (sweatdrop)

It seems that I've gotten caught up with the chapters here, and I'll finally be posting up some sneak peeks on AizoAnime! About time, isn't it? Also, if you haven't taken a look at my good friend Kiyo-chan's video of my friends and I, the link is in the News & Updates section on AizoAnime! I must have given her at least fifteen hits already...I love it so much! XD Well, I think that's all for now!

R&R please! Thanks for reading!

-HM


	8. Overpowered

A THOUSAND PARDONS MARIEKE-SENSEI! Thanks for all the reviews, everyone! It's really raise my spirits and the last review I got really cracked me up. I'm sorry I didn't update on Friday, I had to do some...important things...Eh, who am I kidding? I play video games for so long I lose track of time. Who addictive can I get? I don't know...But here's the next chapter of Narutoverse no Jutsu 2!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

"What's this? I think a little battle's going on, Sasori-dono, yeah. Looks like Yuura didn't do his job as quickly as you thought, yeah."

"How irritating," Sasori growled. "We'll have to interrupt."

"No, wait," Deidara said, holding his arm out, "He's already in his beast form, yeah. Let's let him have some fun first, yeah. I'll give him five minutes."

"That's very unlike you," Sasori remarked.

Deidara grinned. "I just don't want to waste any material before I battle the Ichibi."

---

"Where'd he go?" Midori wondered aloud, eyes scanning the area.

The moment she finished the sentence, the sound of blood spurting sounded and Kankuro was thrown across the sand painfully.

"Kankuro!" Midori shouted. She swiveled around just in time to see Yuura coming straight at her. It was then she released the chakra arrow that had been flowing idly between her fingers.

Yuura howled in pain as his right ear was shot cleanly off, drawing blood. His hands traveled to the noticeable void, eyes bloodshot.

The two jounin left came to Kankuro's side, helping him sit up at the very least.

"Kankuro-san, are you all right?" one asked.

"Yeah…" Kankuro mumbled. However, his voice wasn't very convincing, and if that wasn't enough, the bloody gash lining his back made the others even more doubtful.

"You're unable to fight anymore," Midori stated, not taking her eyes off of Yuura.

"A puppet user only needs the use of his hands," Kankuro retorted.

"Well it's quite clear you can barely sit up with that back of yours," Midori countered. "Moving is out of the question too."

"Then why don't you heal me?" Kankuro demanded.

"That takes time!" Midori shouted.

"Tsubu! Shimaku! Hold Yuura off!" Kankuro ordered.

The two jounin, Tsubu and Shimaku looked uncertain, but weren't about to disobey the brother of the Kazekage's orders. Tsubu handed Kankuro off to Midori then joined Shimaku, kunai drawn.

"Are you insane?" Midori demanded as she grasped Kankuro's shoulders. "How can you be so selfish? They won't stand a chance!"

"That's exactly the reason why you have to hurry up and heal me!" Kankuro said forcefully. "Without me, you won't be able to beat Yuura! So don't waste time!"

Midori narrowed her eyes, but gathered her chakra once more to heal the puppet master. "You'd better be right."

---

"I do believe they're down to three shinobi, yeah," Deidara concurred, squinting into the distance. "How tragic."

"Three more minutes," Sasori said impatiently. "This is annoying."

---

"Tsubasu!" Shimaku cried as his comrade slumped in Yuura's choking grip. "Bastard!" he roared, charging back at Yuura, despite his recently-broken arm.

"Shimaku, no!" Kankuro yelled, standing up. "Stop!"

It was too late. Shimaku thrashed at Yuura with blind fury, bent on revenge for his friend's death.

Cursing, Kankuro brought the inert Karasu back in motion. Karasu swerved towards Shimaku, shoving him away from Yuura who was about to take a deadly swing at the jounin.

"Get a hold of yourself!" Kankuro ordered.

Midori took that moment to fire another arrow at Yuura which skimmed his left arm shallowly. Then Kankuro sent Karasu and Kuraori after the beast, lending time for Midori to reach the injured Shimaku.

_At this rate, I can't afford to keep healing everybody, _Midori thought. _I'll run out of chakra…and then what? _Scowling, she reached into her left bag and pulled out a spray bottle and roll of bandages. Squirting a clear substance onto the lesions around his body, she successfully wrapped up the more lethal places and created a makeshift sling for his arm.

Nevertheless, Shimaku seemed depleted of most of his energy in the last few minutes of fending against Yuura.

"Sanshouo will guard him," Kankuro said, suddenly appearing by Midori with Sanshouo as a covering. "His defenses are the best out of my three puppets."

Midori nodded and set the man gently off to the side. Sanshouo hovered over him protectively.

"Looks like it's just you and me against this guy now," Kankuro said. "Think you can handle it?"

"I can handle anything," Midori said with confidence.

"Here we go."

---

"Are you even serious?!" Nami demanded, shaking Kyoko wildly. "You sent _Midori _as a first line of defense?!"

"I-It was her idea!" Kyoko stuttered as she steadied herself. "Besides, Midori probably has some good abilities!"

"This is _Midori _we're talking about!" Nami exclaimed. "The healer! The semi-pacifist!"

Kyoko looked as if she were starting to regret letting Midori leave.

"I'll have to go—" Marieke started.

"I'll go help her," Nami interrupted. "You'll be needed here anyway, sensei. Besides, I want to try out my new jutsu." Saluting, she ran out the door.

"She learned a new jutsu _already_?" Kyoko gaped. "That's not possible, is it?"

Marieke's face held a concealed frown. "She's done it once and only once. It's reckless to try it again…"

_You'd better not do anything stupid, Nami…_

---

"Dokugiri Zuyoku! Baribari Shikaku Renpatsu (Poison Fog! Blind Spot Destroyer)!"

In seconds, the area was covered by a blanket of exhausting smoke screen, blinding Yuura. Then out of nowhere, needles dripping with poison started taking stabs at him under the cover of the smoke.

Yuura snarled, attempting to find a way out of the smoky prison only to be jumped by Midori who plunged an extended claw of chakra into his chest. The beast roared in pain as he swiped the kunoichi away.

Midori, who had dived to the left still endured a slash to the shoulder. She tumbled away from the thrashing Yuura, covering her shoulder with a hand. When Yuura made another attack for her, Kuraori was there to protect her.

Kankuro maneuvered his puppets to repel Yuura away. He inched his way towards Midori and said, "He should be slowing down with that poison in his body…"

Midori breathed heavily. "Yeah." Her eyes followed Yuura, picking out the thin needles embedded in his body, and counted. _Seventeen needles…along with the poison I just injected into him with the chakra claw…that gives him several minutes to live if he keeps moving around like that._ A pang of sympathy for the man for a mere second before he tried to slice her neck. She hopped back, then shot forward with a kick, sending him backwards. She knelt down on one knee, exhausted.

"Stand down, Yuura!" Kankuro shouted, "If you wanna live!"

Yuura's reply was a charge in Kankuro's direction. It was obvious he was starting to get desperate, for his arms were waving in every which way, attempting to get a lucky hit. Unfortunately for Kankuro, Yuura's berserk movements was enough to force him off his feet.

"Yuura!"

Suddenly, a flash of light blinded Kankuro for a moment. Once his vision cleared, Yuura was falling forward limply, a colossal gap where his left shoulder used to be. Kankuro backed away several feet and let the ex-Suna shinobi drop.

Kankuro shoulders relaxed considerably and he let a long-held breath out. He looked over at Midori who had just lowered her arms tiredly.

"Nice save," Kankuro remarked.

Midori's depleted smile suggested she was ready to fall herself.

_We both used up a lot of chakra, _Kankuro thought. He glanced at his puppets who were barely able to keep upright. The limbs and joints were unsturdy, and he knew they wouldn't be able to go through anything else until he repaired them back in the village.

"Let's get back, Midori," Kankuro said as he started to stand.

"Okay."

"What a shame, yeah."

Kankuro and Midori froze.

"Deidara…" Midori whispered.

---

People had been rushing in and out of the hospital building like ants. A few who reported to Gaara that they were from the elite team sent with Kankuro told of the puppet master's orders and what was going on after things weren't as hectic.

"And everyone was dead or dying," one shinobi said sadly.

"Thank you for the report," Gaara said, mind working vigorously. "That will be all."

"It looks like they weren't able to save a lot of people," Kyoko muttered. "I wonder if Kankuro and Midori are okay…"

"I know Kankuro wouldn't die so easily," Gaara said, "And your friend is a medic, I'm sure she's fine."

"But we can't just sit here and wait forever, Gaara," Kyoko argued. "Why don't we go check things out?"

"You already sent Nami," Marieke cut in. "What more do you want, Kyoko? Just be patient."

Kyoko crossed her arms and frowned. "I don't like this," she said childishly.

"None of us do."

---

"Looks like I'll have to leave these two with you, yeah," Deidara sighed. "Sorry 'bout that, yeah."

"You should have been more prepared," Sasori growled.

"Hey, hey, it's easy pickings. These two are obviously out of chakra, yeah," Deidara smirked.

"Fine. But hurry up with your assignment."

"Right," Deidara grinned as he reached into his bag. His fist was full of clay, and when he opened it, a miniature bird was magically formed. Tossing the clay figure, it started to grow into a giant creautre, which he started to board.

Midori grimaced. _This isn't good. _She laced her hands together in a sign and narrowed her eyes.

_What is that girl doing? _Sasori thought.

Then, just as Deidara was about to take off, Midori shot a quick, minimal arrow at the man. Deidara stepped back, mildly surprised.

"Well, well," Deidara said, "It looks like you _do _have more chakra than I thought, yeah."

"Just leave, Deidara," Sasori ordered. "Don't get distracted."

"Yeah, yeah."

Midori was about to stop Deidara from taking flight, but Sasori dashed her plans. His scorpion-like tail flew towards her, the tip missing her by centimeters. Clenching her fist, Midori backed off to catch her breath. _That tail is fast._

"You're not going anywhere!" Kankuro shouted as he began to follow after Deidara, he was abruptly sopped by Sasori as well who blocked his path successfully. Kankuro scowled and looked back at Sasori angrily. "Get outta the way!" He strived to maneuver his puppets towards Sasori, only to find that it was extremely difficult. _Damn! My chakra…_

Sasori proceeded to smash the worn Karasu with his wooden tail, then Kuraori while itw as left open and defenseless.

"No!" Kankuro shouted.

"This is nothing," Sasori stated. "Don't waste your time fighting back."

"Kankuro…" Midori whispered, "He's right. Let me do this."

"How?" Kankuro snapped. "I don't have enough chakra left, and yours has depleted too."

"That's where you're wrong," Midori said. "See this necklace? It's my Hikari Suishou. In short, it restores my chakra; I have an endless supply, so don't worry about me."

Kankuro gaped. "That's not possible."

"It is. Just sit back this time," Midori said reassuringly, "We can't forget about Shimaku-san. You have to get him out of here and get back to help the village."

Kankuro knew he had no other choice, and as much as he hated leaving a girl to avert an opponent, he agreed to her suggestions and ran in the opposite direction where Sanshouo lay.

Sasori's tail snaked out once more and aimed at Kankuro, but this time it was repelled by Midori's extended fist. The girl hopped onto the long tail and started running along the layered wood towards the beginning. Less than a second later, the tail was whipping about, trying to shake off the Konoha kunoichi.

Midori leapt off and prepared an aerial attack. Running chakra throughout both her arms, she closed the space between her arms and created an extension of hardened, pointed chakra that drilled towards Sasori's back. The attack was deflected and Midori was forced back again.

"Your breath is heavy but your chakra supply seems limitless," Sasori remarked greedily. "Tell me, little girl, what's your secret?"

"That isn't any of your business," Midori snapped, bending her arm back to launch an arrow of chakra. Sweat was dripping down her face as perpetually as a waterfall, and her breath had gotten quicker than ever. Even if she had a endless chakra, that didn't mean it didn't have its drawbacks. She just didn't have the stamina to keep up with such chakra flow, but Sasori didn't need to know that.

_As long as I keep him busy until some help comes…_ Midori thought. _I can't let Sasori figure me out. _

---

Kyoko turned her head towards the window. She could've sworn she heard something otuside. Glancing at Gaara who also seemed to notice something, she knew she wasn't hallucinating.

Marieke, who had left a while ago to help guard outside, was now busy avoiding a silent spider the size of a large hand. It exploded, nearly catching her in the intended attack. She saw that the other guards weren't as lucky as she was.

_Suna is under attack, _she thought urgently as she dodged out of view. She searched the area for the source of the explosive spider and spotted a large bird of close to the same design: white and artistic. It was several buildings away, and something or someone just jumped off of it.

"Infiltration successful…" Deidara said, triumphantly landing on the rounded building. His smile turned upsidedown, however, when he saw the two figures standing in front of him.

Deidara smirked. "Let me guess…Kazekage-sama and his secretary?"

"Secretary?!" Kyoko hollered.

Deidara didn't have time to laugh, for a wave of sand was racing straight toward him. Deidara retreated to his hovering clay bird just in time, but Gaara was following him closely on his sand.

"Hey, Gaara!" Kyoko called, waving her arm. "Hold on!"

"Stay there, where it's safe," Gaara ordered, turning around for a split second.

"HEY!"

Gaara was now out of earshot…at least, if he wasn't, he was pretending not to hear her.

Kyoko groaned in frustration. "I'm supposed to be the bodyguard…"

"Kyoko!"

"Sensei!" Kyoko saw Marieke appear next to her. "Gaara won't let me defend him!"

"Kyoko, tell me exactly what happens when Gaara fights this person," Marieke ordered, eyes glued on the two men battling high above the village.

"Gaara…sacrifices himself for the village," Kyoko answered. "Which is why I have to find a way up there." Then her eyes widened as an idea formed in her mind. Sticking her hand into her weapon holster and back pouch, she pulled out several needles; one between each finger. Turning her head slightly to smile at Marieke, she said, "Wish me luck, sensei!"

"What are you—"

Kyoko had already stepped off the building.

* * *

I don't know if it really matters to people if I make Deidara say "yeah" or not...Believe it or not, it took me two hours to figure out whether or not I was going to use "yeah" or "un" or something...I figured since I don't make Naruto say "dattebayo" I should stick with Deidara saying "yeah"...but "un" is quite different than Naruto's catchphrase, isn't it? Is "yeah" okay with everyone or would you guys rather I use "un"? 

Anyway, like battles in the actual canon, this'll take a while, ne? I estimate the whole battle fiasco to be over in about two or three chapters. (nods) And now, Kyoko and gaara are just getting started... Ai...

Until next time!

-HM


	9. Human Torch

Sorry about not updating yesterday everyone! I was visiting an old friend and didn't have time to update, but here it is now! Thanks for the reviews; I got the number I wanted:D I'm very busy today, so I don't have much to say this time around!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

Midori dodged the poisoned attacks from Sasori, staying on the ground for less than a second each. Sasori wasn't giving her a break, and she had a feeling he had seen through her strength straight to her weakness. She wouldn't be able to hold out much longer, and they both knew it.

"Your abilities would be unique in my collection…" Sasori commented. "It's a shame your skill is so limited. It will be easy to capture you."

"Don't be so sure," Midori spat. "I'm not going to give in so easily."

Sasori scoffed. "Lying does you no good." He set loose a barrage of projectiles, zeroing in on their target, then lashed his tail out in the unlikely event that Midori would be able to dodge the storm of weapons.

Chakra started to emit out of Midori's body as she stood in a concentrated position. As soon as the toxic objects were within range, she swiped her arms continuously, repelling as many as she could while swiftly darting away from the rest. Her tactic prevailed for less than ten secounds, however. Before she knew it, Midori's legs had buckled underneath her from exhaustion, causing her to stumble.

Sasori saw this as his chance His weapons pelted Midori, cutting through her flesh and drawing red lquid. Sasori smirked under his disguise, enjoying the sound of her stifled screams.

Midori's body succumbed to the stabbing sensations of needles and knives penetrating her skin. Poison had long since started its takeover of her systems, and she could do nothing to stop it. Sasori was right. Her skills were too limited.

Sasori ceased fire once he was sure the girl could move no more. He was certain she wasn't dead…yet. The girl had three days, which was enough time for him to clean and gut her body and recreate her as a puppet. Then he would be able to add the immeasurable chakra reserve to his aresenal.

He slowly dragged forward towards the kunoichi, but stopped just before a kunai which landed in front of him. Gazing in the direction of thrown projectile, he saw a teenage girl. "What now?"

"Get your ass over here so I can fight you, Akasuna no Sasori!" Nami ordered.

"Another annoyance…" Sasori said irritably.

---

"You knew it was me, yeah…" Deidara said, a smirk creeping across his face as he set another wad of clay into his hand's mouth.

Gaara was about to retort when he noticed something strange. Deidara, who had his full attention on Gaara only seconds ago, was now staring at something slightly below. The young Kazekage chanced a look himself, and peeked under his wave of moulded sand. There he saw numerous needles with the thinnest chakra strings sticking into the bottom of his sand. Attached to the strings was…

"Kyoko!" Gaara exclaimed, a sudden look of surprise that had been long since overdue.

Kyoko would've given Gaara a thumbs-up if her hands weren't currently tied. She was dangingling dangerously from her ten fingers, all attached to the transparent strings. "Hi Gaara!" is all she could say, "I'm gonna help you if you like it or not!"

"Well that's pretty stupid, yeah," Deidara remarked, tossing an explosive spider towards Kyoko.

Gaara frustratedly thrust his arm in a direction and part of his sand shot downwards to create a barrier in front of the daring girl. Luckily, the shield was up before the spider could blow Kyoko's face clean. Then, the sand unexpectedly wrapped itself around Kyoko's waist, hoisting her up and setting her next to Gaara.

"I'm taking you down," Gaara said.

"Fine, but it won't help anything," Kyoko said stubbornly. "I'll just jump again. I have plenty of needles."

Gaara narrowed his eyes in annoyance. "Why are you so difficult?"

"Be_cause_," Kyoko said. "There isn't a force in the world that'll stop me from stopping Deidara."

"Aw," Deidara smirked, "Well aren't you faithful, yeah? Too bad I have to break you up." He had been preparing more figurines and immediately released four perfectly sculpted birds into the air.

Gaara expanded his sandy barrier to a full shell, covering both Kyoko and himself from the muffled explosions from outside.

"What abilities to you have that would be useful against that?" Gaara questioned.

"Uh…" Kyoko took this time to turn her back on Gaara and skim through the informational card that had been sitting in her back pocket for an extensive amount of time. "Uh…"

Gaara looked away from her for a second to compose his thoughts. It was then he realized there hadn't been any explosions in the last few seconds. Had Deidara ceased fire?

He cautiously lowered the sand barrier only to find that Deidara wasn't hovering in the same spot he had been. The mischevious blond was nowhere to be seen.

"Looking for me?" Deidara called.

Gaara and Kyoko's eyes both darted upwards in unison in time to see several medium-sized creatures dropping towards their heads. Gaara knew the moment it happened his sand wouldn't be able to react in time to repel the total blow. Fortunately for him, he didn't have to.

Deidara's eyes narrowed as his bombs flew towards him. He hastily ordered his mode of transportation out of the way before he was blasted to smithereens.

_Henkou no Jutsu (Deflection Technique) won't be enough to beat Deidara, _Kyoko thought as she gripped her average-sized fans tighter. _Come on Kyoko…do something. Don't be a burden…_

"Kyoko."

"Ye—"

_Thump! _

Kyoko fell into Gaara's arms. The red-haired jinchuuriki had knocked the girl out with good intention. Setting her down in a separate sphere of sand he created momentarily, he stood apart from Kyoko, certain she'd be safe now. He closed the opening, giving the shell the look of a sandy egg, and turned back to Deidara. Bent on finishing the battle as soon as possible, the Kazekage immediately raised his arms in concentration, forcing several long claws of sand from all around to rise and head straight for Deidara.

The older man tried to escape, but to no avail. Deidara's left arm was doomed to annihilation.

"Sabaku Kyuu."

---

"You think you are a match for me?" Sasori sneered. "Troublesome little girls like you should be seen and not heard."

"And real men should be fighting upfront without a doll to hide in," Nami retorted. "But that's not my problem." She glanced at Midori who was visibly struggling to breathe. "You hurt my friend, so now you're gonna have to pay me, Kawa Nami, the price in advance."

Nami was barely able to finish her sentence as Sasori's tail lashed out at her. It struck the ground where she had recently stood. While it coiled away, Nami started to run, hands flying, one sign after another. _I only have one shot at this…Make it count Nami! _

Sasori narrowed his eyes. He could feel the thermal energy flowing into the girl from all around her. She was getting closer, and for some reason he didn't move. _What are this girl's abilities? _

Body pumped and quickly heating up by the second, Nami felt the burning sensation of the preparation of her newly-learned jutsu. Sweat beaded down her face rapidly, and her limbs felt as if they would explode at any second. However, she kept moving. Her hands were still at work, and her deliberation was solid. She was determined. She was going to kill Sasori before he could harm anyone else with his sick methods.

"Hito Seika (Human Torch)!"

Sasori couldn't believe his eyes. _That girl…She's on fire! How is that possible…?_ He quickly prepared himself, blasting waves of weapons at the girl bounding towards him.

Seeing the blades flying at her, Nami's eyes squeezed shut for a split second before she crossed her arms and thrust them out. Flames instantly shot from her arms, propelling the weapons to the side and leaving her unharmed.

_She's not stopping, _Sasori thought. _Damn it…_ He started to lengthen the distance between them as quick as possible, only to notice her speed was getting faster with each passing second. _What _is _she? _

With a mighty battle cry, Nami threw an inflamed fist at the puppet user who narrowly avoided the blow. Sasori was impelled to dodge each of her relentless attacks, knowing she wasn't going to hesitate any time soon. The girl was a blur; her fists were flying so speedily he wasn't able to locate any openings for less than a second. A few knicks from Nami would mean annihilation for Hiruko, his second body.

"HAH!"

Sasori cursed Nami finally landed a hit, instantaneously setting Hiruko on fire. Half a second after that, Nami flipped in midair and smashed a flaming leg against the back of the puppet, creating more dancing embers. Then, jumping into the air once more, she spun vertical to the ground and unleashed a series of fiery hoops that landed around the Akatsuki member.

With a burning Hiruko and fire all around him, Sasori had no other choice but to retreat for the moment. Jumping out of the rings of fire before they could totally consume him, he released himself from Hiruko. However, Nami was only able to see a glimpse of the rarely-seen body of Sasori, for he had promptly disappeared.

"Damn…He got away…" Nami mumbled as she dropped to her knees and hands, the fire surrounding her flickering out. She winced as the scorching sensation didn't subside; her skin still felt as if she was on fire.

Crawling over towards her fallen comrade, she used the little strength she had left and lifted Midori onto her back. It was time to head back to Suna.

---

Marieke narrowed her eyes as Baki started giving orders to strengthen defenses and to help their Kazekage in battle. She knew it would be a useless attempt…Nami had told her earler before already, but she wasn't about to rain on the determined parade of the Suna forces. The jounin knew Kyoko was now in the spherical shell hovering off to the side away from Deidara and Gaara, and she was amazed at how the jinchuuriki boy could keep the barrier solid while concentrating on Deidara.

"We've got to help Gaara!" Kankuro hollered.

Marieke's gaze turned from the sand sphere to Kankuro, then to the area around. Gaara was obviously trying to keep the battle away from everyone, even the other Suna shinobi. She had established that none of her larger summonings would be able to appear without at least a fourth of the village being crushed including the citizens gathered around. But that didn't mean she couldn't use something not nearly as big…

The kunoichi made several hand seals then slammed her hand against the ground."Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" Black signs between oddly shaped rings sprouted around her hand and smoke covered the small area around. Emerging from the drifting clouds soared a fairly large brown-feathered bird with a wristband indicating it was from Konoha on its leg.

"Takara!" Marieke shouted, "Take me up there!"

"That looks pretty dangerous…" Takara protested. "Do you really want to get mixed up in it?"

"Yes, I do."

"Fine. Hop on."

Marieke boarded Takara, and after a few steadying flaps of the wings, Takara was off. As the bird flew, Marieke's hands started forming signs. Once Takara took her close enough, she bellowed, "Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu (Fire Style: Grand Fire Ball Technique)!"

Deidara quickly steered his clay creation upwards to avoid the flames, then dodged to the side when a huge sand hand made a grab for him.

"Marieke-san, stay away," Gaara advised as she hovered next to him.

"I'm sorry, Gaara, but I can't do that," Marieke said. "It was our mission to guard you with our lives, and I plan on completing it. And don't even think about trying to knock me out either."

Gaara turned away. "Fine."

"Good boy." Marieke pulled out a handful of sharp shuriken and tossed them, slicing through the two clay birds Deidara had sent. She noted that they were much smaller and thinner than the ones he'd been using on Gaara and Kyoko before if her hawk-like eyes hadn't deceived her. _He must be running out of ammo…If there was ever a good time to strike, it would be now…but how to get closer? _

However, Gaara proved he didn't need to get any closer, for he unleashed a much larger wave of sand in an attempt to catch the slippery Deidara again. But Deidara only flew higher and higher, trying to get out of range of Gaara's sand.

"Two against one isn't fair," Deidara laughed mockingly. _I'll have to get rid of the woman or she might become a nuisance…perhaps I could kill two birds with one stone?_

"I'm going to destroy this village, yeah," Deidara vowed. "To be stopped from below would put me in such a bad mood. That _and _I'm tired of your expressionless face." Deidara's body was still throbbing from the loss of his left arm, but he wasn't about to let that bother him.

Marieke's eyes followed the white object Deidara dropped from his right hand. _What…?_

"What the hell is that?!" someone shouted.

"This isn't good…Everyone spread out!" Baki ordered.

"Too late," Deidara smirked. He chuckled as the beautiful explosion of flaming reds, oranges, and yellows expanded from the heart of the village. Deidara was about to declare himself victorious when he frowned.

An umbrella of sand had shielded the entire village from his masterpiece. Deidara was not pleased.

Gaara let his breath out in long gasps. He had never used so much energy in his life. He'd have to end the battle soon before—

BOOM!

Gaara now sat inside a perfectly round barrier, safe from the harm of Deidara's bombs. _I must protect the village…I can't die until this threat is extinguished…I…_

Something caught Gaara's attention, making his eyes widen.

"Shi…!" Deidara bellowed.

"Gaara!" Marieke shouted. Gaara's shield was bubbling unstably then started melting away, leaving Gaara hovering in the air helplessly.

"Takara…"

"Yes Marieke-san." As Takara began to fly towards Gaara solemnly, Marieke noticed the sand over the village moving slowly away.

_A true Kazekage…_Marieke thought.

Not only was Gaara moving the load of sand above the village, he was setting the forgotten sphere of sand Kyoko was in. The Kazekage was falling towards the ground now, unmmoving when he heard his brother call his name.

Just as Marieke was about to grab Gaara, a white object was thrown at her face, causing her to reel back to avoid it. The next thing she knew, she had a pain in her chest and she was falling towards the ground.

"Bye-bye," Deidara waved as he continued off with Gaara in his clay bird's clutches.

"Marieke-san!" Takara made a dive for the kunoichi, saving her before she got too close to the ground. "Are you all right?" the female bird asked once Marieke was safely on her back.

"No…" Marieke said quietly, watching Deidara disappear. "I'm not."

"Their objective was Gaara?! Those bastards!" Kankuro roared as he started to run.

"STOP!"

"Nami?" Kankuro turned around to see Nami running towards him with an unconscious Midori on her back.

"Don't follow Deidara!" Nami ordered, panting.

"Are you insane? Of course I'm going after him!"

"NO! Don't! Or else you'll end up like Midori…" Nami said seriously.

"I don't need your warnings—"

"It's not a warning! It's an order. Don't do it." She handed off Midori to one of the Suna medics who was outside. "Do I have to stop you by force?"

Kankuro narrowed his eyes, "You can't stop me."

"Kankuro!" Baki shouteded angrily, "He was at a high enough level to defeat Gaara! You don't stand a chance!"

"You want me to abandon Gaara?!"

"Of course not!"

"Enough!" Marieke hopped onto the ground after Takara disappeared. "Kankuro, Nami knows more about what will happen then you do. It would be best if you stayed here."

"What's going to happen to Gaara?" Kankuro growled. "They wanted him alive…"

"I'll tell you if you stay," Nami said.

"…Fine."

* * *

FLAME ON!! That's what Kyoko and Nami were thinking when I told them about Nami's jutsu. All will be explained about it soon, but if you just can't stand not knowing how Nami didn't burn to a crisp, I can tell you in a reply to your reviews! The explanation kind of confuses me myself, and I'm not ENTIRELY sure it would work, but it's _Naruto _so, I'm guessing almost anything's possible.

Does anyone else besides me think Sasori retreated too quickly:( Nami wasn't supposed to "win" against him, and technically since he retreated, it isn't a complete win...or is it?) (frown) Sigh...I think I have issues with portraying puppet masters...

I didn't post a sneak peek on AizoAnime for this chapter because...well, it would give way too much away, but I'm still posting regularly, don't worry. Half the things that I have to do today is basically put some stuff up on AizoAnime to keep it alive, so check up on my friends and me sometime this week/weekend/day. :) SANKYUU!

-HM


	10. Friction

Sorry for the late update, everyone! Technical difficulties, really...Thanks for the reviews, as always! I'm feeling very good about the numbers, and reading each one pumps me up to spit out another chapter! (Okay...bad choice of words, but you get the idea...)

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

"Well, well…What's this, yeah? What's happened to _you _Sasori-dono?" Deidara said with slight surprise. He did nothing to conceal the smirk slowly appearing on his face."Was that half-dead girl too much for you?"

"No," Sasori snapped. "The wench merely had a back up. I was careless and unprepared, is all."

Deidara chuckled, "And you give _me _crap about being prepared?"

"Shut up, Deidara," Sasori growled, "We're late and we need to make up the time you wasted. The next time I see that girl, she will be the one burned alive." His tone suggested that the matter was closed, and he started walking away, dragging along a blackened Hiruko with him.

---

"What?!" Kyoko screamed, sitting up quickly. "Gaara…He's _gone_?!"

Nami watched as her friend's enraged expression turn into distress and worry. "There was nothing I could do, okay? But we'll get him back, you know?" She lowered her voice, "We can still rely on the canon."

"That's not the point!" Kyoko scowled. "We came here so we could _change _what happens! Nothing's changed! Gaara will still die! I wasn't able to do _anything _to stop what was supposed to happen! It's like we don't even _need _to exist!" Kyoko bit her lip as tears threatened to fall. "And now…_Why _didn't Gaara just let me fight?!"

"He obviously wanted to protect you," Kankuro cut in coldly. He was leaning against the wall, unpleased about what Nami had told him before and Gaara's fate. "The only way to do that was to stop you from fighting. You've got such a thick head, he had no other choice."

"Kankuro," Temari said sharply.

Kyoko narrowed her eyes. "Well I can't say the same for you!" she spat, gesturing towards Midori lying in the bed opposite to hers. "Some man you are! Now my teammate is in this condition!"

"I wasn't happy about leaving her, okay?" Kankuro growled. "Why don't you just lie down and shut up? You're really pissing me off. If you three hadn't come to Suna in the first place, I doubt there'd be as much trouble as there is now."

"What did you say?!" Nami shouted.

"Break it up, kids," Marieke ordered as she walked into the room with a group of Suna shinobi. "What's done is done. Once the back up from Konoha arrives, we can set out. It won't be long, and according to what I know, I estimate we have plenty of time to tail the Akatsuki. We're all shinobi, so we can all keep level heads. Understood?"

"Whatever," Kankuro mumbled as he walked out of the room.

Marieke turned to Temari and whispered, "See to it that he doesn't do anything rash. Even if we've told him what's to come, I doubt he'll care at all."

"Right."

"So, how are my favorite students doing?" Marieke said cheerfully.

Kyoko growled and dropped face-down into her pillow angrily like a rock. Nami rolled her eyes and groaned, and of course, Midori couldn't say anything.

"I see."

---

"Kankuro, don't be like this," Temari said, crossing her arms.

"Don't tell me you aren't even a _little _worried about Gaara, Temari," Kankuro retorted.

"Of course I am! I'm just not as eager as you are to run out in enemy territory blindly!" Temari shouted. "You're so stupid, why don't you _think things through _for once?"

"This is Gaara's life that's on the line! There's no time to think things through!"

"You _know _that our shinobi supply is low after that infiltration," Temari said, trying to calm down. "We wouldn't be able to fight those Akatsuki guys by ourselves. We need our allies."

"And where are they now? We can't just wait!"

"Yes we can. It's all we can do."

"You're not serious!"

"Just shut up already," Temari ordered heatedly. "As your older sister I'm demanding you follow my orders."

Kankuro just scowled and turned away from her.

Temari sighed, a look of concern clearly written on her face. _Kankuro…_

---

Although Konoha was contacted early, Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi didn't arrive for another two days; a day earlier than what would've originally happened. Whence they made their appearance, Sakura directly began preparing for the removal of the poison in Midori's body.

"Is she okay?" Naruto asked

"Told ya you wouldn't be able to do anything until Konoha came," Nami said cheekily to the Suna medics.

"You insolent…" one of the medics growled before he was called over by Sakura to assist her.

While the younger shinobi crowded around Sakura to help in any way, Marieke relayed the recent events to Kakashi in detail near the doorway.

"…I see," Kakashi said as soon as he finished. "Well then, I guess we'll just have to—AUGH!" Kakashi nearly toppled over like a board as a body bounded onto his back.

"DIE WHITE FANG OF KONOHA!"

Everyone looked up (Sakura only for a second) and watched as a short old woman pounded her fists against Kakashi's head. The malicious granny was passionately clung to Kakashi with her legs that were stronger than they looked, and the silver-haired jounin was still glazed from the surprise assault.

"Ow, Miss!" Kakashi protested painfully, "Could you (ow) possibly (ow) get off (ow) my back?!" He tried to pry her off without injuring her, but was unsuccessful.

"NEVER!" she shrieked. "I will get revenge for my son today! Say goodbye, White Fang of Konoha!"

"No, (ow) I'm not (ow) White Fang!"

"Get offa Kakashi-sensei, you hag!" Naruto ordered as he grabbed the woman from behind and started to pull.

"Get yer hands offa me, sonny!" Chiyo screeched.

"Sister," said an equally as old man. He had walked into the room and patted Chiyo on the back, "He's not the White Fang, just look. There's a strong resemblance, but its not the same person."

"Eh?" Chiyo leaned over Kakashi's shoulder and looked at him sideways, eyes wide. "O…Ooh…" She hopped off his back and started cackling in embarrassment. "Ahahaha…I _knew _that!"

Kakashi let out a breath of relief.

Baki came in shortly and said, "Oh…I see shinobi from Konoha has arrived." He bowed politely.

"I came here to examine a girl poisoned by my grandson…" Chiyo said, glancing at Sakura. "But I see my skills are not needed. What a waste of my time!"

"Please stay, Chiyo-baasama!" Baki pleaded. "We may need your expertise about your grandson just yet!"

"Fine, fine, fine," Chiyo sighed. "Only because I don't want to see you begging like a dog."

Baki looked offended for a split second, then relieved. "You'll have to give us some information about Sasori."

"I'll do that later," Chiyo answered, "When I see him."

"What?! You're planning on going—"

"Well, I fancy a nice walk outside!" Chiyo interrupted loudly, strolling out the room with a spring in her step.

"W-Wait Chiyo-baasama!"

"Crazy old lady…" Naruto mumbled.

---

"We're only a day ahead of schedule," Kyoko said, "I doubt that'll make a difference…Gaara's probably going to be…"

"Don't say that," Nami interrupted. "We know the location of the Akatsuki hideout _and _how to open it up. That saves time too. As soon as Midori's up and ready, we're gonna get Gaara back."

"Yeah…" Kyoko mumbled. "By the way…What's that new technique Marieke-sensei mentioned?"

"Jealous, are you?" Nami smirked.

"Shyeah right, I just wanna know how it works," Kyoko said with false indifference.

"I bet it's too complicated for you to understand," Nami shrugged, examining her nails. "Maybe I'll tell you when you're fifteen, kiddo."

"Oh yeah?!" Kyoko fumed. "Well…I'm _bigger _than you!"

"Okay, but you said it, not me."

Kyoko crossed her arms and pouted. "Jerk."

"Nami."

Nami and Kyoko turned in unison to see Marieke. "I'd like to have a word with you."

---

"All better now?" Sakura asked, patting Midori on the back.

"Y-Yeah…" Midori said with a bit of difficulty. "Better than before anyway…"

Sakura noticed Midori's frown. "What's wrong?"

Midori covered her frown with a small smile, "Nothing really…It's just…I'm not much of a medic if I can't cure myself, you know? I guess I'm just…not good enough."

"Mm...You know what I think?" Sakura said.

"What?"

"I think you should stop with the self-pity and start acting like you want to be," Sakura said, pointing a finger in the air. "You're not going to get anywhere just like that, trust me, I know. And even if your skills are better than before, that doesn't mean you're the best you can be."

Midori just stared at her, speechless.

Sakura giggled and said, "It's one person's opinion, of course."

"…Yeah…" _Sakura's…really seeing clearly now._

"I'm sorry you won't be able to complete the mission with all of us," Sakura continued. "You need your rest, and honestly, jumping back into action would be the worst thing you could do now. I have to produce an antidote, so I'll be back in a while to give it to you. In the meantime, you know not to move around."

"Of course," Midori said.

Sakura smiled and walked out the door.

Midori took a deep breath and pressed her hand against her chest. A glossy glove of green chakra escaped from her hand, and the girl started inhaling and exhaling steadily. _Don't count me out just yet, Sakura…_

---

"You do realize that this jutsu isn't one that should be used frequently, especially after you just barely learned it," Marieke said. "Your body hasn't adapted to the multiple energies at work yet. It's difficult to keep so many energies running, and if you don't balance them out at _all _times, the heat will kill you. It's essential that you release the second waves of chakra from every inch of your body to protect yourself constantly—"

"I _know _how it works!" Nami interrupted short-temperedly. "And if you were gonna lecture me about it, why did you teach me the jutsu?"

"The only reason I taught you the technique is because Midori and Kyoko don't have the right caliber," Marieke said sharply. "But that doesn't mean you can use it in every battle you ever fight. I'm telling you this so you won't foolishly kill yourself without realizing. You saw how terrible your burns were, and there may not be medics around next time."

"I've only used it once," Nami mumbled, rubbing her arm angrily.

"Don't use it again unless it's a matter of life and death," Marieke said, "And that's an order. We may be equal shinobi now that I'm technically not your sensei anymore, but I'm still your superior. Until the day you can triumph against me, I'd advise you take my advice."

"If all I have to do is beat you, then—" Nami started to challenge, but stopped when she saw a figure advancing through the doorway.

"Marieke, Nami," Kakashi said, walking out towards the two women, "We're going to leave now."

"All right," Marieke said. "Lead the way."

"Oh, I'm not the one who's going to be leading," Kakashi said.

At that moment, Kyoko came up, surprising Nami.

"You remember where Gaara was taken?"

"Of course I do," Kyoko replied, "I'd be useless if I didn't."

Nami gave her a doubtful look and said, "You…_sure_?"

"_Yes_," Kyoko said impatiently. "We don't have all day, okay? So let's go already!"

The group of Team Kakashi minus Sasuke, Team Marieke minus Midori, and the old woman Chiyo (much to Baki's displeasure) were about to depart. However, they were stopped abruptly by none other than Kankuro.

"Kankuro?" Kyoko questioned, "What…?"

"I know I'd be useless in a fight against those guys with my puppets out of action but…" Kankuro said hesitantly, "Please just…bring my brother back, everyone. Bring him back safely and…don't you dare get killed."

Kyoko grinned and opened her mouth to answer him, but was unable to, for Naruto instantly cut in.

"Don't worry about a thing!" Naruto declared, "I'm going to be Hokage someday too! This way I can secure an advance favor from the Kazekage!"

"_And _Gaara's our friend," Kyoko added. "There's no way we're going to let those guys keep him."

"Right, right!" Naruto agreed.

Kankuro didn't smile, but his eyes showed his encouragement and gratefulness. _Maybe I _can _rely on these guys…After all; Uzumaki Naruto was the one who changed Gaara. And that girl…_

"Midori says good luck," Temari said, gaining the rescue team's attention. "I wish I could help."

"We won't be needing the luck," Nami stated.

"And you just keep strengthening the Suna defenses," Marieke said, "The village needs you here."

Temari nodded, and the two of the three Sand Siblings stood silently as the large group departed, heading out towards Suna's exit at breakneck speed. The mission to aid Suna had ended. Next mission: Save Gaara.

* * *

Just for the record, I don't hate Kankuro or anything. I actually love him very much, but in my eyes, Kyoko wouldn't be able to get along with him too well because she'd probably annoy the heck out of him...(Don't kill me, Kyoko!) Not to mention he's still sour from being forced to stay in Suna instead of go after Gaara.

Since this chapter's kind of like an aftermath from before and an opening to the next chapter, I'll probably update the following chapter sometime very soon. I'd say in 2-4 days instead of 7 because I've been feeling so happy lately.

Please R&R! And I hope everyone had a happy Halloween (to those who celebrate, of course)!

-HM


	11. Four Scrolls

I guess my dream of updating early was dashed. (sob) On the contrary. I had to visit my cousins and we arrived late at night, so I had no time to finish writing. Two major grade assignments were due this week, and I'm happy to say that my report card's going to be looking pretty nice this semester, which means no restrictions on fanfiction. :) Thank you for the reviews, everyone! I luv joo!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto._

* * *

_

_Don't worry, Gaara, _Kyoko thought, _I'll save you…_

Kyoko was leading the group which seemed to be traveling in no specific tactic; Kakashi and Marieke closely followed Nami and Sakura who were in the middle. The two girls trailed behind Naruto who was at a several-foot distance from Kyoko herself who was beside Chiyo. Keeping her eyes forward, she called, "We're heading towards the Akatsuki hideout in Kawa no Kuni."

"That should take us a while," Marieke muttered. "Would we possibly get there in time?"

That triggered Kyoko's mind to start a heated race. If they weren't in time to actually stop the Akatsuki from conducting the bijuu removal process, what would happen if they were to interrupt them? In all the possibilities she could think of, Gaara would always end up dying. Hating herself for not being able to figure out any loophole, any form of preventing Gaara's death, her eyes started to burn with the yearning to let loose the lingering tears.

"What's causing you to cry like that?" Chiyo questioned, moving in a bit closer. "It's not the Hokage whose life is in danger. I don't suppose you have ties with Suna?"

Kyoko shook her head. "Not really…I've never even been to Suna until now. It's just that Gaara's…precious to me."

Chiyo stared blankly ahead, taking in the words with wonder. "How so?"

"I don't know. He always makes me feel this way; I'm not sure why. It's because of this feeling I can easily say that I'm not only saving him because I want to return the favor of the protection he's given me, but saving him because, well…I want to."

"Not much of a shinobi, are you?"

Kyoko almost slipped on a branch but caught herself hastily. "What?!"

Chiyo didn't dignify Kyoko with an explanation, adding to the fuming fire. She didn't have to, however, because Kyoko understood perfectly what the old woman meant.

"Just because I show emotion doesn't mean I'm a bad shinobi," Kyoko argued.

"Perhaps," Chiyo said, "But the Kazekage _did _lose because of his emotions."

"Hey, old hag!" Naruto cut in, "Don't talk about Gaara like that!"

"My goodness! Don't talk to your elders like that," Chiyo countered, forcing her voice to sound more aged, "I'm just a senile old woman who doesn't know any better. You are very impertinent brats."

"Well you know what—?!"

"Sh," Marieke hissed, "Ninja should stay silent when tracking the enemy. You haven't forgotten what I taught you three years ago, Kyoko?"

Kyoko bit her lip and scowled. There was no way she was going to give herself away when ever move counted on this mission to save Gaara. She'd get her chance to show off her skills that the Kazekage had prevented her from doing, for it wouldn't be long before they neared River Country…

---

"Goddamn it!" Kankuro cursed as he clung to his callously scratched wrist. He had been repairing Kuraori and one of the defensive blades suddenly shot out. "I guess you aren't as busted as I thought…" he muttered.

"This place is a mess."

Kankuro fumbled with a tool and whirled around unexpectedly to see Midori scanning the room.

"Aren't you supposed to be in the hospital wing?" Kankuro questioned.

"Don't I look healthy?" Midori asked.

Kankuro stared at her doubtfully, then thumped her on the back, forcing her to release a short fit of coughs. "No, not really."

"I'm a medic myself," Midori said stubbornly, "I know when I'm sick or not." She glanced behind him, noticing the severed wooden parts of the marionettes. "You're restoring them?"

"Yeah," Kankuro nodded, turning back to his work. "Once they're fixed, I'm going after Gaara."

"What, don't you trust us to save him?" Midori asked.

"That's not it. The more people contributing would mean less chance of bloodshed."

"Right." She silently watched Kankuro; his hands moved curiously charitably. They were in complete control over the tiny tools, carefully attaching joint to joint.

"Don't you have anything better to do?" Kankuro said, not stopping. "Watching is probably pretty boring for a kid like you."

"Kid?" Midori huffed, arms akimbo. "Please. At heart I'm least two years older than I am."

"No, not really. Only a kid would say that."

Midori frowned. "What about you? You're only seventeen. Why do you act so old?"

"Because..." Kankuro paused for only a second then reached for a different tool. "Out of the three of us Sand Siblings, I'm the most childish."

"Huh?"

"Temari's the oldest out of all of us, and when we were younger, she was the one who always took care of us," Kankuro said. "She still finds work to do and keeps me in line. And of course, Gaara's Kazekage. In terms of maturity, I'm nothing compared to either of them."

The only sounds in the workroom were the minimal clacking sounds of Kankuro testing out Kuraori's arm.

"But I don't expect you to understand," Kankuro said after a while. "After all, you hang around those two juveniles."

---

"Achoo!"

"That's pretty weird," Naruto remarked, watching Kyoko and Nami rub their noses.

"I bet Midori's spreading rumors about us," Nami declared.

"Do you really think you two are worth talking about?" Naruto teased.

"Everyone, halt!" Kakashi called suddenly. "Someone's up ahead!"

The group instinctually stopped on the jounin's orders and sure enough, a figure was eerily standing in the distance. Naruto recognized him instantly. However, Sakura didn't.

"Who…?" she started.

"Don't you see the resemblance?" Nami hinted.

"Uchiha…Itachi!" Naruto growled lowly.

"So this is Uchiha Itachi…" Chiyo said with a peak of interest. "The child that killed his entire clan…"

"It's been a while Kakashi-san, Marieke-san…Naruto-kun," Itachi said emotionlessly.

"Uchiha Itachi," Marieke said matter-of-factly. "What brings you here? Where is your blue friend?"

"Kisame is busy," Itachi answered, "But I won't need him to defeat all of you."

"You bastard!" Naruto shouted, pointing an accusing finger at the Uchiha. "Not just me, but even Gaara?! I'll beat you down!"

"Everyone, don't look directly in his eyes!" Kakashi ordered.

Marieke narrowed her eyes and stared at he ground. She knew very well what Itachi's Sharingan was capable of and how to fight it. Gai had taught Kakashi and herself how to predict an enemy's attacks by the movement of their body and feet, and it was going to pay off now.

Kyoko was barely listening to Chiyo and Kakashi discussed genjutsu in whispered terms, for she was too busy figuring a plan in her mind. If Itachi delayed them long enough, that would be less time to get to Gaara.

"It's not the real Itachi," Nami informed, "He's just a clone."

"Kage Bunshin?" Naruto questioned.

"No, just a person sacrificed and controlled by the real Itachi with thirty percent of his chakra," Kyoko explained. "He's able to use the same abilities as the real Itachi, so you still have to act like it's him. This guy was supposed to be Yuura but…"

"It doesn't matter who he is," Naruto interrupted. "If he's in league with the Akatsuki, I'm gonna hand his ass to him."

"I agree," Marieke nodded. "We can't stay here long. Our mission is to save Gaara and this man is in our way." She connected eye contact with Kakashi, and both jounin nodded as if they both knew what the other was thinking.

"You guys go on ahead," Kakashi said, "Marieke and I can handle the so-called Uchiha Itachi."

"You think you can handle him?" Kyoko said, surprised.

"Two jounin against thirty percent of the real Itachi?" Marieke said, her eyes confident, "You really shouldn't doubt our abilities. I haven't been just growing older in the years you girls were gone."

"Don't think I have either," Kakashi added.

"If you say so," Sakura nodded.

"Be careful," Nami advised, "His eyes aren't the only things that can perform genjutsu."

"We'll keep that in mind."

"As soon as Kakashi and I create an opening, continue," Marieke ordered.

The rest of the group short bobs of the head before Marieke and Kakashi turned to face the idle "Itachi."

Marieke pulled out four kunai and tossed them skillfully in the direction of the Uchiha. The blades quickly embedded into the grassy ground to reveal one explosive tag each flickering from the ends of the knives. Three seconds later, the detonations sounded and smoke erupted from the flimsy tags. That was when Chiyo and the younger shinobi took their chance.

Itachi, unable to see, stood completely still and narrowed his eyes. He heard the speedy footsteps and started towards the right to go after the group when a flying kick came out of nowhere. He threw his arms in front of his face to block the attack successfully then leapt into the air to avoid another from behind.

Marieke, still airborne, started making the appropriate hand signs. As she touched earth, her hand slapped the ground, creating another burst of smoke that carried the darker smog away. Jumping out of the white puffs, she stood back to watch her summoning unveil; a large pack of hyenas. The large carnivores swiftly circled around Itachi hungrily, impatiently waiting for the okay from Marieke.

"My guess is that although you aren't 'Itachi', the real Itachi is still conscious of everything that's happened," Kakashi said, eyes narrow. "And I don't suppose you'd be willing to tell us what we want to know."

Itachi was silent.

"Of course not, Kakashi," Marieke said, "Which is the reason why we bid you adieu, 'Uchiha Itachi'…for now."

"I wouldn't be so sure, Marieke-san," Itachi retorted just as the carnivorous animals pounced on him.

"Kage bunshin," Kakashi muttered instinctively.

A dark flash caught out of the corner of Marieke's eye and the woman called, "Kakashi!"

"Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu!"

The two jounin leapt out of the way before they were scorched by the orange-red flames.

Kakashi suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder, and mistakenly turning around, stared straight into Itachi's eyes.

---

"I'm not doing anything yet!" Naruto exclaimed angrily, "When am I gonna get the chance to get into the action?"

"Just wait your turn, Naruto!" Kyoko answered.

"Don't be so impatient," Sakura added. "I'm a little worried though. That guy is Sasuke's brother, so…"

"Hey, Kakashi's got Marieke-sensei with him," Nami interrupted. "You've got nothing to be worried about."

"You mean Marieke's got Kakashi-sensei with her," Naruto said, "So _she'll _be all right."

"Are you saying Kakashi's better than Marieke-sensei?" Nami demanded heatedly.

"Well…"

_These young people really don't know how to stay on track…_ Chiyo thought with a sigh.

---

Itachi narrowed his eyes and said, "Of course…a Kage Bunshin." _It must have been when I cast the Goukakyuu no Jutsu… _

The hyenas had disappeared long ago, and the two jounin stood a distance away from Itachi.

"At this rate we won't catch up to the others," Kakashi commented.

"Then let's end this in the next two minutes," Marieke said.

Then the two jounin sensei sped off together towards the Uchiha. Marieke and Kakashi were good enough not to hit each other fortuitously, but they hadn't been getting a lot of hits on Itachi either. Half a minute passed by and Marieke decided to put her plan in action. With a speedy, inconspicuous nod in Kakashi's direction, she placed her hands together and shut her eyes.

_What's she planning? _Itachi thought as he started heading her way. As soon as he got within her range, Marieke's hands disappeared behind her back to pull out four scrolls. Biting her thumb indiscreetly, she painted the opening scrolls each with a line of her blood. Then as they started to smoke, she tossed the scrolls in four different directions: up, down, left, and right.

Itachi didn't hesitate and kept running, but kept his guard up. He knew Marieke was a summoning specialist, but what could this be…?

From the scroll rolled out on the ground, a large, growing Venus Flytrap shot, excluding Itachi's view of his opponents. Its mouth opened to the Uchiha who evaded it scarcely by darting to the right. At that moment, the right scroll exploded, bringing out an angry-looking ram with large, curved horns jutting from its head. Thrashing its head about ferociously, it attempted to send the opponent flying.

However, Itachi dodged the relentless attacks. He placed a hand on the head of the ram after another failed charge and pushed off the ground, flipping over the animal right into the swiping claw of a bulky bear that originated from the left scroll. Itachi bounced back abruptly, though he still suffered from a nasty slash.

The area surrounding Itachi was getting crowded, and Itachi was starting to get annoyed. He searched for an opening, and whence he found one, he headed straight for that. The ram charged at him once more, but he dashed past the bear, forcing the two to collide painfully. He sent fire towards the Venus Flytrap, but it disappeared in a puff of white smoke before the flames reached it.

Before Itachi continued the sound of something cutting through the air reached his sharp ears. Glancing back, he realized he hadn't seen the last scroll's summoning yet. Sure enough, three long, gleaming blades were already heading his way. He pulled out a kunai and deflected two of the swords, but he was unable to stop one which went right through the side of his abdomen.

Marieke smirked as Itachi tried to move again, only to be stopped by a long wire extending from the still-floating scroll to the hilt of the sword. Her hands still in the same position, she waited for the closing attack.

The last thing Itachi heard was the load chirping of birds and a roar from Kakashi, "Chidori!"

As the body fell, Itachi's face contorted, twisting and creasing into an unfamiliar face unknown to both Marieke and Kakashi.

"Come on," Kakashi said, flicking his hand for good measure. "We can still catch up to the kids and Chiyo-baasama."

---

"They finished too early...We aren't done yet."

"It's not like we can stop them any further…We would need at least another day."

"Well then…what must be, will be."

"You don't sound too worried."

"Of course…nothing can stop the will of God. Things will surely go our way. Sasori, Deidara…when the intruders come, they're all yours."

"Hmph."

* * *

I admit, the last few parts were rushed when I wrote it, but what I wanted to happen basically happened anyway. As for news about the movie...er, I'm taking this video-editing class and I kinda have to work on something else for a while so...progress is basically put on hold. Sorry! Thanksgiving Break is coming up, though, as well as Winter Break and the semester's end! That'll give me a lot of time to do the things I want to do! R&R please! Ja ne!

-HM


	12. Saving Gaara

SORRY EVERYONE!!! I had computer problems last weekend, and I wasn't able to update in time. Anyway, I don't know if this chapter makes all that much sense...but READ IT ANYWAY! Enjoy! And thanks for the reviews!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

"Leaving so soon?"

Midori flinched in mid-step. _Dang…I'm caught. _She took a breath and turned around to face Temari reluctantly.

"Don't tell me, you're going after your teammates?" Temari continued knowingly. "Are you in any condition to walk blindly into danger?"

"I'm fine, Temari," Midori said, "And besides, knowing the whole lot on this mission, you'd agree that more help would be needed."

"Sakura's a medic, they'll be fine if you don't go," Temari argued. "And it was she who said you should stay here for the remainder of the mission, right?"

"It doesn't hurt to have two medics with such a large group," Midori countered. "And besides, you don't have to lecture me; it shouldn't matter."

"Going off alone is reckless," Temari frowned, crossing her arms. "At least let me—"

"Calm down, Temari."

"Kankuro?" Temari said, looking over at her brother who had walked in. She immediately noticed the scrolls strapped to his back and her eyebrows furrowed. "You're not…"

"I am," Kankuro nodded. "I'm gonna go help bring our brother back."

"You fixed your puppets already?"

"They weren't as fatally damaged as I'd thought," Kankuro explained. "And don't try to say anything, Temari, you can't stop me—us."

Midori smiled when he glanced at her.

"If you get into a lethal state, don't expect me to be there to save your sorry ass." Without another word, she turned on her heel in frustration and left.

"You can feel her love and compassion for me," Kankuro commented with a small smile.

---

"There it is," Kyoko announced.

Naruto gazed ahead, eyes narrowed. Apparently the Akatsuki's idea of a hideout was a monstrous cave with a boulder wedged in the entrance. Outside there was no sign of the ground. Instead, there was water as far as the eye could see; normal environment for Kawa no Kuni.

Upon further inspection, the group caught sight of none other than Team Gai, whose sensei had just smashed his fist into the boulder fruitlessly.

"Hey!" Kyoko called, gaining the team's attention.

"Hey!" Tenten greeted whole-heartedly. "The guys told me you were back!"

"It is good to see you all in good health," Lee remarked.

"Where's Kakashi?" Gai questioned. "And…who's this woman?"

"Kakashi-sensei and Marieke are catching up," Naruto explained, "And the old hag is Chiyo-baa."

Chiyo frowned at Naruto but said nothing.

"Is Midori with them as well?" Neji questioned.

"Er, no," Kyoko said, rubbing the back of her head instinctively. "Midori's back in Suna…She got a little held up."

"I see."

Neither Nami nor Kyoko could tell what his distant tone of voice meant, but there were more important things to contemplate.

"There's a barrier preventing us from moving any further," Gai reported.

Kyoko nodded. "There are four others around this area marked 'forbidden' which we have to remove at the same time."

"Neji," Gai said.

Neji, who already had veins appearing around his eyes, muttered "Byakugan." A quick scan informed him of the locations of the tags, which he passed on to the rest of the group.

"When you remove the seals, you'll be faced with clones of yourselves, equal to your own strength," Kyoko said.

"Clones?" Lee repeated, surprised.

Kyoko nodded, "Yeah, so be careful."

"Don't worry about a thing!" Gai exclaimed exuberantly, flashing the Nice Guy Pose in Kyoko's direction. "Now that we have a head start on our opponents, we'll be done in no time! Team Gai is the fastest and strongest around!"

Naruto and Nami rolled their eyes simultaneously.

"Team Gai, put your youth in full throttle! Move out!" Gai bellowed as he took off to his assigned forbidden tag.

"Sakura, get ready to smash this thing open," Kyoko called, adjusting the communication radio around her neck.

"Roger!"

"You might wanna step back," Nami said to Naruto, stepping away from Sakura.

"Ready…" Kyoko muttered, listening closely. "And…GO!" Kyoko ripped off the seal and pushed off the boulder. The sound of Sakura letting out a ferocious roar rung in her ears as she flipped in midair. As soon as she reached the flooded ground, bits and pieces of earth started to fall in all directions.

"We're in!"

Kyoko and Naruto both rushed in first. Two seconds later as Sakura, Nami, and Chiyo began to come in, Kyoko and Naruto were thrown backwards like rag dolls from an explosion, skidding and splashing in the water.

"What the—!" Nami exclaimed.

"Welcome," Deidara said, his one arm held openly in the illusion of a pleasant greeting. Sasori stood by his side, safely inside a newly refurbished Hiruko.

Kyoko propped herself up on the water with hands and knees, and spat. Naruto had landed a little ways away from her, but he had gotten up much faster. He was already charging back towards the cave. Hastily, she followed after him.

"We're a little busy at the moment, yeah. Do you mind waiting?" He gestured towards the inside of the cave where Gaara hovered above the ground, a thick, bubbling substance being sucked from his limp body. Around him were the other members of Akatsuki, seemingly not paying attention at all to the commotion happening just meters from their positions.

Anger welled up inside Kyoko, and she realized that the two artists standing in front of her were the actual Sasori and Deidara. It seemed that they had vacated their spots in the removal process to battle and in their places were astral projections of themselves. All of a sudden, she noticed the heat of Naruto's fury. A sudden pang of concern for the jinchuuriki boy hit her. _Kakashi isn't here to calm Naruto down…If he goes Kyuubi right now…_ "Naruto!"

Naruto abruptly turned his head toward her, giving her full view of his red, bloodshot eyes, growing whiskers, and pointed teeth. In short, he looked like a complete savage.

Kyoko tried to hide her slight fear and said with as much force in her voice as she could muster, "Cool down, Naruto! Don't go crazy, okay? We can't afford to mess anything up! Gaara's—"

"Give Gaara back, you bastards!" Naruto roared, seemingly tired of listening to Kyoko.

"Wait, Naruto!" Kyoko was too late.

"Naruto!" Sakura cried.

---

"Meikakugan." Midori looked back and forth; pupils white, irises black. She and Kankuro stood atop a high mountainous place where she had volunteered to scan the area.

"See anything?" Kankuro's figure was blurred in her eyes although he was standing close by.

"Meikakugan isn't as strong as Byakugan," Midori explained, still looking around, "So it's kind of like looking through binoculars; it takes longer to—wait." She squinted to sharpen the image. "I see…Gai." A few seconds later, she said, "Team Gai's in separate battles with themselves—I'll explain later—but I can't find any of the others. They're either in the cave with Gaara or they've traveled out of my eyesight."

"Then what now?"

"Now we help out Team Gai," Midori replied, "The faster we help them, the faster we get to Gaara. They'll be a big help, trust me."

"All right, let's go."

---

"We can't let them get Naruto too," Kyoko said, turning towards the others quickly. "And we need to get Gaara away from that weird machine."

"Thanks for stating the obvious, so what do you plan on doing about it?" Nami said.

"You three stop Naruto, I'll get Gaara."

"Of course," Nami muttered as she took off towards the raging blond.

"I'll take care of this one, Sasori-dono, yeah," Deidara volunteered.

"No," Sasori argued, "It's one member, one capture. Don't push it."

"An artist must always seek inspiration of he'll lose his touch…"

As the two Akatsuki members argued about art, Nami and Sakura tackled Naruto, holding him back by his arms and waist.

"Get a grip, Naruto!" Nami ordered.

"Let go! Don't just sit there and let them suck the life out of Gaara, damn it!" Naruto hollered.

"Naruto, you can't just go running in without a plan!" Sakura shouted.

Suddenly, Naruto stopped thrashing about. "What the hell?"

"Don't make me waste my chakra on you, boy," Chiyo said, hands out. Thin strings of chakra were emitting from her fingertips which then connected to Naruto's limbs.

"Look at them, fighting amongst themselves, yeah," Deidara laughed.

Naruto growled angrily, and with great power, he forced his limbs to move.

Chiyo narrowed her eyes as the stark-raving mad boy broke free of her strings. _What strength…!_

Meanwhile, Kyoko was pondering furiously how she'd be able to get to Gaara out of the Akatasuki's clutches. Obviously she wouldn't be able to sneak past, and the only other option she could think of was attacking the Akatsuki at once to stop them from continuing their jutsu. But if she were to do that, what would she do then? And even more so…what would happen to Gaara?

However, in her eyes, she had no other choice. Making her decision, Kyoko pulled the scroll hanging on her back off and unrolled it in the air. The girl bit her thumb delicately and ran her blood against the paper, creating a huge mass of billowing smoke.

This easily caught the attention of the Akatsuki members, though they didn't look extremely curious. The smoke cleared to reveal a twirling Kyoko, the scroll spinning with her. Thousands needles shot out from the paper, producing smaller puffs of smoke with each weapon's release. The deadly accurate needles targeted straight at each Akatsuki member, nearing closer and closer every millisecond.

Deidara quickly took cover behind Sasori who shielded himself from the pointed items, but the other members of the evil organization present were forced to cease the jutsu and move out of the way of the needles. That only left a few astral projections that weren't affected, much to Kyoko's discontent.

But the distraction came to Naruto's advantage, for he took that time to leap into the air, propelling himself with his charka, and grab onto Gaara. He didn't expect a fiery sensation burn his hands the moment he touched the Kazekage, but he wasn't willing to let go. But Gaara seemed to be suspended in the air by some invisible rope because he barely sunk. Naruto focused his charka to his feet, creating a heavier weight so the two would be able to get to the ground.

"Come on…come on!" Naruto urged anxiously. "Come on!"

Sasori lunged towards Naruto, but he was suddenly stopped by Sakura who dashed in front of him, fist arched. He jumped back before she could smash Hiruko open only to come into Chiyo's range. The old woman let loose a barrage of kunai, and Sasori knew he'd be kept busy for a while.

Nami was keeping Deidara at bay at the moment, and she had no time to stop. While dodging the many clay bombs coming her way, she was thinking up a strategy to get closer to the man. So far all she'd been able to do to stop him from getting to Naruto and Gaara or Kyoko was throw simple kunai at his feet. As a mess of clay birds flew from Deidara's hands, Nami made several hand seals and bellowed, "Fire Lash Technique!" Fire escaped from her fingertips and slashed the birds hotly, detonating them early in between the two opponents. Unbeknownst to Nami, Deidara secretly smirked and a different explosion sounded closer to Nami. He had sent a small, inconspicuous clay spider to the girl after the birds, and it seemed that it had reached its target.

Deidara turned around to see Kyoko silently running from the muddled roll of paper which had been abundantly used. He molded a small form, thin as a blade of grass, and tossed it with precision towards the girl who didn't see it coming. It embedded itself sharply into Kyoko's back then exploded to Deidara's satisfaction.

"What a shame, yeah," Deidara chuckled. Suddenly, his eyes widened slightly as he felt the presence of someone behind him. Turning just in time to get a face full of boot, Deidara was forced across the cave from the powerful blow. As he skidded across the ground, he realized what Kyoko had done.

_She can do Kage Bunshin no Jutsu…So she hid herself in the smoke and created the clone to finish off the needle summoning…_

"Naruto!" Kyoko called as she jumped high into the air. She grabbed onto Naruto's waist and attempted to aid him in pulling Gaara down.

Nami, who had narrowly escaped from the explosion with scratches and bruises, saw this and immediately apprehended that Gaara wouldn't be able to escape without all the Akatsuki ending the bijuu removal. Taking a deep breath in, her hands moved into a few signs and she shouted, "Hot Steam Stream!" She breathed out a foggy wave of heated smog, barring the visions of the Akatsuki atral projections. In their actual locations, the members were unable to see what they were doing, and the jutsu's progress broke.

"You fools!" a male voice hollered in the mist as Gaara started to descend towards the ground with Naruto and Kyoko clinging on. "Do you know what you've done?!"

At that moment, everyone felt a rumbling, coming right from the huge, dark apparatus with many eyes. Something terrible was happening…But what?

* * *

Guess who's here with me? NAMI AND KYOKO!!!

Yo peeps! It's me Nami! THAT RHYMES! O YAY I AM A RAPPER! REVIEW OR DIE FROM KYOKO'S DEATHNOTE! I love you all!

Okay...Anyway, R&R please! Next update will come ontime, I PROMISE!

-HM


	13. Suna no Shukaku

And she is SAFE! Wow, so many reviews! Thankyouthankyouthankyou my lovely reviewers! You've made me a very happy Midori. :) You're all awesome. And as a side note, I had JUST noticed a few things from last chapter.

1. I didn't translate the English techniques into Japanese which I usually do and which is what I did for this chapter. Oops. Just wanted to let everyone know that I'm not switching back and forth between English and Japanese. (sweatdrop) I'm not even sure if the words I'm using are right or not, but hey, (shrug) someday I'll learn Japanese and laugh at my sad attempts.

2. I kept calling the sealing statue a "machine" because I didn't know what to call it in the last chapter and I was rushing a little so...DUR. It's a statue, Midori. A statue.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

"Wh-What's happening?!" Sakura cried out as she tried to hold her ground.

"I don't know!" Kyoko shouted. She and Naruto were running with Gaara; one of his arms on each of their shoulders. "But we have to move now!" She had a bad feeling about what was about to come after them…

"You rats don't think you're going anywhere, do you?" Sasori said dangerously, summoning countless puppets that blocked their only way out.

"Are you insane?!" Nami shouted, "You wanna kill us _all_?!"

Sasori didn't dignify her question with an answer, but only seemed to look past the group to the machine behind them.

Naruto narrowed his reddening eyes, and looked as if he were ready to barrel the ocean of puppets down when Sakura screamed, "Look!"

Everyone took that moment to turn around, just in time to witness the occurrence of something strange…A loud, incoherent cackle rose with thick, red smoke erupting from the front of the sealing statue. Then, a sudden explosion commenced, blowing a whole through the top of the cave sending a wave of terrible heat and power rush towards the group near the entrance.

Every member of the rescue team widened their eyes as a lone, large figure emerged from the smoky depths of the statue.

"It can't be…" Chiyo gasped. "Suna no…Shukaku…!"

"The demon that was trapped inside Gaara!" Naruto shouted. "It's out!"

Meanwhile, Pein, who had decided it was not yet time to reveal himself, looked towards Deidara and said, "Take care of your assignment. Bring it to the new location once you're through."

"Yeah."

As soon as Deidara replied, Pein placed his hand on the machine and made a one-handed seal. In less than a second, he, the remaining Akatsuki, and the machine were gone.

"What the hell!" Nami exclaimed, aghast. However, she only a breath's time to see, for a number of puppets started to attack, all controlled by the single Sasori.

---

"Neji!" Midori called, running towards the Hyuuga genius. She slowed down to a walk, smiling a congratulatory grin. "Wow, it looks like you finished before I even got here."

Neji turned around and started walking towards her, arms held out in a friendly manner. Midori blushed as she felt his arms wrap around her warmly. "Neji, what—" Suddenly, she struggled out of his grip, slipping out to the left before Neji's right hand could smack her in the stomach. She threw a kick towards his chest which he avoided.

_Of course he was the clone! _Midori thought. _But then where's the real Neji? _

As if on cue, another Neji came bounding to the first Neji. Slamming his hands out in front of him in the air, Neji hurled a forceful blow that pushed his opponent back.

"Everything all right?" Neji asked, appearing by the girl's side.

"Yeah," Midori nodded. "I was…careless."

"I've been at this guy for a while," Neji said, waving off her comment. "Apparently he's as strong as I am."

"No," Midori said, "He's as strong as you were when you removed the seal."

Neji raised an eyebrow.

"Increase your strength and you can beat him," Midori said, looking over at the fake Neji who was readying another attack, "But it doesn't matter. It's two against one, so this should be easy, right?" She smiled confidently.

The corners of the Hyuuga's mouth rose slightly, then he nodded. "Right."

---

"I AIN'T GOT ROOM IN HERE!" Shukaku screeched as he thrashed around; the bottom half of his form shook the cave hazardously. It seemed the beast was stuck.

Deidara didn't waste time with the small bombs; he went straight for his most prized explosives made of the topnotch C2 and C1 bombs. As he continually dropped them upon Shukaku while dodging the One-Tail's blows, Shukaku roared in a disgruntled fashion. The bombs seemed to be doing a maximum of minimal damage, and Deidara knew he'd have to lead the beast out and away from the cave or at least get himself out if he ever wanted enough space to create a magnificent explosion and defeat Shukaku. And besides…Blowing up Sasori along with the beast and intruders would be a plan to avoid.

Deidara landed himself onto a clay bird and blew a hole in the ceiling. Then he flew out, right in front of Shukaku's face. "Hey, you drunk!" he called to Shukaku who was about ready to go on a rampage. "Over here!"

Shukaku bellowed angrily, "I ain't no drunk, bastard!" in an inebriated voice. "I'll kill you!"

_Untamed beasts are such idiots, _Deidara thought with a smirk.

Shukaku struggled a bit in the cave then leapt out heftily, leaving the others within the cave a particularly enormous sun roof.

"We can take 'em now!" Nami called as she jumped backwards into the newly acquired space.

"Then we'd better do it quick or we're gonna lose Gaara!" Naruto shouted. "Here!" Naruto turned to Kyoko and handed Gaara off to her completely and said, "Make a run for it when the puppet guy's distracted." Then he looked towards Chiyo, Sakura, and Nami, ordering, "Give me space and cover my back!"

"But, Naruto—" Sakura was unable to finish, however, because Naruto had already started charging towards the sea of puppets.

"Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!"

Chiyo stood back and manipulated her Ten Puppets of Chikamatsu along with Sasori's "Mother" and "Father" to Naruto's favor, perspiration gathering on her elderly face. "That boy won't listen at a time like this. The truth is its barely possible for any of you to avoid all of Sasori's puppets. If you were to get injured just once, chances of survival are at a minimum. Not to mention if Naruto were to get hurt…since he's the Kyuubi's container…the demon's power might start to seep out of him faster because its host is in danger. That's why I'll be controlling you to help protect him…"

"Enough said," Nami said, arms akimbo. "String me up, Granny."

_Gaara…Don't die on me…_Kyoko thought as her grip on the Kazekage tightened. _Don't die…don't die…_

"Kyoko!" Nami barked, pulling Kyoko out of her desperate thoughts. "Pay attention! There's no time for drama here!"

Kyoko scarcely had a chance to glare at her teammate when Chiyo sent the two girls into action to join her small army of puppets. Kyoko watched the battle royale take place, her eyes barely able to follow each and every movement of her side of the team. All she knew was that Naruto was trying urgently to reach Sasori and punch his face in alongside several of his clones that had still survived. Nami and Sakura were making sure nothing got in his way, all while dodging the constant poisoned weapons raining upon them. It wouldn't be easy to find a blind spot to escape through…

"The walls of the cave can't take much more of this," Chiyo said suddenly, grimacing.

"What?"

"In just a few moments, this whole cave will collapse with us in it," the old woman explained. "It was already weak from Shukaku being released, and even more so, all this battling—" she paused to abruptly pull Nami away from a dangerous blade, "—and it will fall in soon. We must retreat."

"Wouldn't Sasori know that? Why is he being so persistent right now instead of retreating himself?"

"It doesn't matter to him," Chiyo murmured. "He's turned his body into a puppet...I see that now, and if he were to be too slow to leave the cave, I'm sure his associate could dig him up. He'd just be able to repair himself…"

"He's still human," Kyoko said, "So aim for his heart, that's all it takes! Do it now!"

"Calm down, girl," Chiyo said, her brow furrowing in frustration. "That's easier said than done. How do you expect me to get to him so simply?"

Kyoko narrowed her eyes and said, "Get ready." Leaving the old woman with nothing else, she set Gaara down carefully behind her and clapped her hands together. Channeling as much chakra into her through, she bellowed, "Mugen: Arashi no Jutsu (Wind Style: Storm Technique)!" Kyoko blew outwards, wind emitting from her lips and trailing into a stunning storm, blowing right towards the battling ninja and puppets.

Naruto suddenly felt himself behind blown forward by Kyoko's technique and an idea struck him like lightning. He quickly grabbed onto one of his clones that had blown his way and held out his palm. As the other Naruto moved his own hands above the original's, blue chakra started to appear.

Sasori stared blankly at the events taking place. His puppets weren't able to withstand the strong winds, and some of them were being blown behind him now. However, Kyoko had seemed to put her own teammates in jeopardy…if his puppets weren't able to stand their ground, of course those humans wouldn't be able to either. He could see that Chiyo was trying to manipulate the two girls' movements, avoiding the flying puppets, but his grandmother was having much difficulty. But then again…so was he.

Suddenly, Sasori heard a roaring battle cry coming from the blond jinchuuriki. He looked up to see Naruto soaring through the air towards him, arm arched back with a swirling sphere of destruction in his hand. The puppet master quickly thrust his arm horizontally, bringing one of his strongest defensive puppets in front of him to take the blow.

_Success_, Sasori thought as he leapt out of the way of his spinning, mangled puppet.

"Damn!" Naruto growled, landing back on the ground. At that moment, Sasori moved his arm again and a puppet with a long, narrow blade protruding from its elbow aimed at Naruto.

"Naruto!"

"Sa-Sakura-chan!" Naruto gasped, eyes widening. His pink-haired crush had leapt in front of him to punch the puppet to pieces at the cost of receiving the poisoned weapon in the shoulder.

"It's okay, Naruto," Sakura said, wincing. She pulled out a small pointed instrument with a colored liquid; one of her three antidotes. She injected the antidote into her body and started healing her shoulder. "I'll be fine."

"Hey, look out, you two!" Nami shouted as she smashed a puppet coming at them.

At that moment, the walls of the cave started to fall due to the impact of the winds Kyoko had released. Seeing this, Sasori bounded back towards the entrance, pulling puppet after puppet into the way of his opponents, dashing any chances of them escaping.

"Have fun on the other side," Sasori said emotionlessly as he moved out of the others' sights.

---

The moment Kakashi and Marieke had seen Shukaku bust through the cave and vault over the trees following Deidara, they immediately followed after. That was several minutes ago. Now, they were in pursuit of Shukaku, who had seemed to stop.

"Decided to surrender to me, did ya?" Shukaku snickered, complete attention to Deidara.

"Nope, yeah," Deidara said as he made a hand seal. "Katsu!"

"Marieke!" Kakashi called suddenly as he caught sight of a bomb perched on a nearby tree branch.

The two jounin retreated back the direction they came, barely getting out of the explosion's range unscathed.

Deidara had set off several bombs in the area he dropped earlier to wait for the right moment; the moment Shukaku fell into his trap.

Then the beast started to falter unable to control his movements. As he collapsed, Deidara flew over Shukaku's head and landed atop his head and sat down, exhausted.

"Hmph…That was easier than I thought, yeah," Deidara thought. _He must've been weakened from the canceled removal jutsu, yeah. Now all I have to do is wait for Sasori-dono to come and help capture this guy and bring him to the second base, yeah. _"Man, I'm beat, yeah," sighed the man, getting into a more comfortable position.

"Not yet, you aren't!"

Suddenly, Deidara was restrained from the back by Marieke who had appeared out of nowhere. Kakashi sat in front of him on one knee, arm resting on the other and his free hand lifting his hitai-ate, revealing his wide-eyed Sharingan stare.

Deidara's eyes grew blank as he stared at Kakashi, entranced by the Sharingan's genjutsu. The former terrorist fell limp in Marieke's grip, but something didn't feel right.

Marieke's eyes widened. _Is this a…clone?!_

BOOM!

Deidara's body exploded, forcing Marieke and Kakashi apart with stinging wounds covering their bodies instantly.

"You okay?" Marieke called to Kakashi, struggling to prop herself up with her arms.

"Yeah…We were careless."

Marieke nodded regrettably. _That guy must be hiding somewhere…If he knew we were here, he must have another trap set somewhere…_

"Katsu!"

A terrible pain shot through Marieke's arms and chest as tiny explosions detonated. She couldn't help but let out a scream, falling to the ground once again. But this time, she wasn't able to get up.

"Marieke!" Kakashi shouted, appearing at her side and supporting her. _Some of the clay from the Nendo Bunshin must have attached to her when she grabbed it...It looks like I don't have a variety of options here… _"Kuchiyose no Jutsu."

A fairly large dog with hitai-ate tied around his neck appeared in a puff of smoke.

"You take Marieke and find Sakura or Midori," Kakashi said. "And be careful with her."

The dog nodded in understanding and allowed the silver-haired jounin to place Marieke securely on the dog's back with a makeshift strap.

"And what do you plan to do?" the dog asked.

"Defeat a member of Akatsuki, of course." With that being said, Kakashi vanished.

* * *

As much as I know, Shukaku is supposed to sound drunk (I can't remember what he sounded like back in episode...whatever...) and his name can also translate to "drunk", so that's why Deidara called him a drunk if anyone was confused. I don't know if I put Shukaku in character either, because all I remember is that he kept screaming "KILL KILL KILL!" when he made his appearance or something along the lines of that... 

BTW everyone, AizoAnime has been updated due to the large amunt of free time I've been given by my lovely Thanksgiving Break, so there is now a sneak peek of the next chapter as well as an AizoAnime quiz and a few videos, all being explained in the News and Updates Section. This all means that AizoAnime is NOT dead! Yay! And speaking of Thanksgiving, I hope everyone had a good one! I sure felt fat after all the food. XD Thanks for reading and review please! See you next time!

-HM


	14. Inevitable Death

Sorry it took like, a week to post this everyone! I had to study so hard this week for a huge test for History (that a passed, thank the lord!) and it doesn't stop at that. I've barely been able to get onto the computer to do leisure activities like reading the updated stories of my many favorite authors (sigh). I'm sure a lot of us have finals next week, no? So we should all STUDY HARD! ...Okay, who am I kidding? Actually, the gang and I are heading to Sacremento for a quick convention in two days, so I doubt I'll be doing many school-related things.

Thanks so much for the reviews, everyone!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

"Are we…dead yet?" Nami's voice murmured.

"No…but I think I am."

Kyoko dared to open one eye and the first thing she saw was a bright dome high enough to keep the falling stone off of their crouched figures. Turning around, she saw Midori standing up with her hands in a serpent seal and Neji, who was in a hunched position, seemingly unfazed by the events happening.

"Midori—wha—?" Kyoko started.

"Talk later," Midori grunted as a particularly large piece of rubble bounced off the top of the chakra barrier.

Because most of the ceiling had crumbled away when Shukaku ascended, the remaining rock had fallen only for about a minute and a half. Midori took the barrier down after the elapse of time, and then, breathing hard, said, "Tell me everything that's happened."

"First, how did you get here?" Nami questioned.

"The top of the cave," Midori said, pointing upwards with her index finger. "It wasn't hard, just running up the walls with chakra and dropping down. Lucky we got here in time too."

"Yeah," Kyoko nodded, smiling. "And we have Gaara!"

"But Sasori just left," Nami said, narrowing her eyes. "And we still need to get him. Not to mention Shukaku's running around loose with Deidara."

Midori's mouth dropped open. "Shukaku's…_out_? That demon is _loose_?"

"We must work quickly," Neji said productively. "We need a plan of action, favorably one where we split up to go after the different targets."

"No, they're both aiming for the same thing," Kyoko interrupted. "They want to capture Shukaku, so they'll both be where he is."

"Shouldn't be hard to find him," Naruto said, crossing his arms. "He's just a fat demon…raccoon…thing."

"But what do we do when we get there? It's not like we _know _how to stop it," Sakura said.

"Simple, Sakura-chan. Just kick its ass," Naruto said.

Sakura rolled her eyes and said, "Naruto, this isn't a time for you to be stu—"

Suddenly, Nami shoved Sakura into Naruto, making the girl shriek.

"WHAT WAS THAT FOR?!"

"How annoying that you aren't dead yet…"

Sasori stood atop the ruined stones, head cocked to the side eerily and eyes vacant. He had aimed a kunai at Sakura, but had failed to hit her. "I was going to use your bodies for puppets but I guess I still have some preparation to do."

"We can't stay here any longer, we _have _to get to Deidara and make sure Akatsuki doesn't get Shukaku!" Kyoko said.

"Then go with Neji's plan," Midori said, "Sakura, you have the antidotes for Sasori's poison, and Chiyo-baasama, you know Sasori's tricks. Please allow me to join you in battling Sasori."

"But the others need a medic on their side," Sakura argued. "You know that that's common sense."

Midori bit her lip. She knew that Sakura and Chiyo would be able to fend off Sasori by themselves fine, but she still had a score to settle with the puppet user. In the end, though, she took common sense over revenge and reluctantly said, "All right."

"Don't worry, Midori," Nami said, stepping over to stand next to Chiyo and Sakura. "I'll crush him for ya."

"You'll be okay, Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked.

"Of course, Naruto," Sakura smiled confidently. "I'm not helpless anymore, you know." She gave him a wink, reassuring the boy completely for the moment.

"We're off then," Naruto said. Glancing towards Gaara, he said, "Once we get away, the first priority is to heal Gaara."

"Whatcha gonna do now, Sasori?" Nami called mockingly, "Now that your puppets are gone?"

"Not all of them were damaged…" Sasori answered darkly as several hundred puppets of his thousand gathered around him. "You will not pass."

"Not gonna work!" Nami shouted as she sent a range of kunai towards Sasori and his army. Sasori caught one of the kunai then threw it back against another while dodging the others. Suddenly, he realized that some of the kunai had explosive tags attached; the ones that had landed right in front of him.

With a loud detonation, the kunai produced groups of thick smog that mixed together, perfect for escapes. Sasori narrowed his eyes and pulled his arms into a cross, puppets together. Then spreading his arms out, he controlled them to attack outwards, blindly aiming to sticking a target by chance.

Once the smoke had cleared, he saw that he hadn't been successful.

_Damn. _

---

"That was close…" Midori breathed as she and the others started running, trailing after the destroyed lines of trees. "Thanks for the save, Neji." She hadn't been able to see the weapon coming her way, but luckily, Neji had.

"It's nothing," Neji said.

"Let's stop here," Kyoko said. She landed behind a fairly large shrub and setting Gaara lightly onto the ground. Next to her, Midori appeared with a solemn expression on her face. Her friend's look frightened Kyoko, though she tried her best not to display it. But something about the way Midori examined Gaara without the usual green glow of medical ninjutsu hinted that something was terribly wrong.

"H-Hurry up, Midori!" Kyoko suddenly shouted hysterically. "Start healing Gaara now! He's in bad shape, and I don't know what that jutsu did to him, but if you don't do anything then he'll—"

"Kyoko," Midori said quietly.

Naruto stared hard at Midori, then Gaara, "I bet Gaara's just fine! He's resting right now, right Midori-chan? But we can't let him rest because we need his help to fight Shukaku and that damned terrorist…"

Neji put a hand on Naruto's shoulder and shook his head regretfully. "Naruto…"

"Gaara!" Naruto shouted, pulling away from Neji. "Wake up, Gaara! Get your lazy ass up, now!"

"Naruto-kun, stop…" Midori said, feeling the throbbing heat in her eyes. She glanced at Kyoko, who did nothing to hide the steady waterfalls of tears rolling down her cheeks and dropping onto the moistening ground.

Suddenly, Kyoko cried out, dropping forward, laying her head facedown and sobbing into Gaara's chest uncontrollably. "N-No! Th-This wasn't sup-posed t-to hap-pen!" Kyoko choked. She clutched the dark fabric of Gaara's shirt as a frenzy of emotions spilled out of her. Anger, sadness, pain, regret…all because of the notion that she was unable to do anything to prevent Gaara's death. Some savior she turned out to be…She couldn't even save the person she cared of most. She had failed, and right now, her heart, the muscle that kept her alive, was tearing her apart.

"J-Just once…Why c-couldn't have thi-ings gone m-my way?!" she screamed. "Gaara…Gaara…"

Watching her friend break down right in front of her was unbearable, and Midori knew she could do nothing to stop Kyoko until she was entirely finished. Not only seeing Kyoko weep, Naruto was shedding silent tears for the young Kazekage, and that was enough to make Midori cry along with them.

At that very moment, a faint sound came to Neji's ears. He turned to notice four figures coming up towards him…Gai, Lee, Tenten, and Kankuro. His teammates greeted him, but Kankuro immediately focused all his attention to Gaara.

"What's wrong? What happened?" Kankuro demanded, trying to keep his mind off of his terrible theory.

"We couldn't prevent it," Midori managed. "We tried…we really did…"

Tenten gasped quietly. "You mean he's…?"

Kankuro's face contorted from cold shock to an angry malice. "That can't be…! Gaara's…!" He didn't want to believe it, but…the way that Kyoko and Naruto were acting, he knew it was true. And the way Gaara was just lying there, as if in a deep, deep sleep…

"I-I'm sorry," Midori tried, placing a hand on Kankuro's shoulder and gazing at Gaara sadly. "It was supposed to happen, and we tried to change—"

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?!" Kankuro suddenly hollered, whirling around, causing Midori to draw her hand back. "Oh, that's right, isn't it?! You guys knew about this, you told us! But all you said was 'Gaara will die', that's all you said! If you had given us specifics about this, Gaara wouldn't have…! Why'd you have to be so damn vague?!"

"Enough!" Neji ordered, stepping in front of Midori and holding an arm out protectively, well aware that Kankuro was ready to lash out at any given moment. "Spouting blame won't change a thing," the Hyuuga prodigy said sternly. "What's done is done."

"So I'm just supposed to take Gaara's _death _without batting an eye?!" Kankuro demanded, dangerously taking a step forward as if challenging Neji. "Is that it?"

"What you're supposed to do is calm yourself," Neji answered, voice rising. "Don't forget that our own lives are still in jeopardy. This isn't over yet."

Kankuro grimaced maliciously and said, "Listen here, you cocky bastard—"

"Gaara…won't be dead for long," Kyoko muttered loud enough for the shinobi around to hear. Her voice was strained, but she had seemed to be out of tears.

"What?"

"There's…only one person who can bring Gaara back," Kyoko said in the same soft voice. Her reddened eyes were targeted at the ground, not daring to look at anyone.

"Who?!" Naruto and Kankuro questioned at the same time.

"Chiyo."

Midori bit her lip. She, as well as Nami and Kyoko had all promised each other that they'd give the old woman a chance to live a bit longer after Naruto and Sakura had enlightened her, so she'd be able to set her life a bit straighter. However, their plans had been shattered the moment Gaara had died. The only thing they could do was let fate run its course, no matter how much anybody disliked it. Both she and Kyoko had gotten caught up in the moment of Gaara's death; foreseeing anything does not change emotion. It didn't seem that the jumbled feelings phased their judgment, and neither could think of any other way to bring Gaara back to life.

"The old woman?" Naruto said, brow furrowing. "What…What could she possibly do?"

"…She'll show you herself."

"But Chiyo-baasama wouldn't do anything to save Gaara's life," Kankuro said, narrowing his eyes. "As long as I've known her, she doesn't care about the village, let alone the Kazekage. She's the one who _sealed _Shukaku into Gaara. Why would she—"

"She will. Trust me." Kyoko lowered her head and rubbed her right eye irritably. "I know she will."

---

Nami breathed heavily. It seemed Sasori had been holding back long ago. He was much stronger now than she had ever imagined him to be. It was either that, or she was the one giving into fatigue, slowing down and weakening.

Part of Team Gai and Kankuro had stopped by shortly, but she had ordered them to continue on. Shukaku's capture was more important, and she knew very well that there would be no problems in dealing with Sasori, especially with Sakura and Chiyo here.

"This is my time for revenge," Sasori said with a wicked smile, his empty eyes wide. He held his arms out in front of him and swung them around in complicated movements, using the one puppet he had been manipulating since his others had been obliterated; the Sandaime Kazekage.

Nami quickly darted away from the puppet, the fabric of her shirt being slightly grazed by it. Perspiration gathered on her face; one hit from that puppet and she'd be doomed.

Sakura suddenly swung out of nowhere to punch the wooden corpse to pieces, but Sasori pulled his puppet back before she could make contact. He aimed one of the large prisms of heavy iron sand floating above his head towards Sakura, but she ducked out of the way.

Sasori frowned. If these women were able to postpone his assistance to Deidara, Shukaku wouldn't be sealed for quite some time. He knew that Pein would have an awful fit if things didn't go as planned, and he was starting to get annoyed with the increasing inferiority he was feeling as the girls evaded his attacks with increasing ease. It was no secret they were fighting off his weakness as a puppet user.

"Satetsu Kaihou (Iron Sand World Order)," Sasori muttered as he struck a stance.

The iron sand pyramid and prism crashed together, and the chakra started radiating from the Sandaime. Then, long, root-like strands of the sand started forming in front of the eyes of the two kunoichi and elder at a fast pace until there was no sight of the original forms.

Nami felt a tug as she and Sakura went flying backwards and away from the spindles with Chiyo's guidance. Willing to inch her hands together, Nami made several hand seals while still in the air. _We're not gonna get poisoned yet! _Nami thought. "Katon: Hikage Kagami (Fire Reflection Mirror)!"

Touching her fingers together to create a circle, she blew a trail of bright fire from her mouth. The fire settled in front of Nami and started to spread into a wall-like fiery shield, ceasing the path of the iron sand.

Sasori watched as his iron sand drop to the ground once the fire started to dissipate into smoke. He narrowed his eyes. The area ahead of him was covered in the smoke, and he was unable to make out a single thing. Then he heard a whistling swish in the air, and he stepped swiftly to the side instinctually.

After the elapsed time of two seconds, he turned his head to see his Sandaime Kazekage puppet pinned against the wall of the cave with a long katana piercing where its heart would have been. Upon further inspection, Sasori realized the blade of the katana had flames emitting from it, burning the Sandaime willingly. Before he could pull Sandaime loose, he was already reduced to a flaming heap.

_Damn it, I missed, _Nami thought when she caught sight of Sasori. _At least I got the other puppet… _"We're making progress here, Sakura," Nami said, turning to the pink-haired kunoichi. "I saved you, so it's about time you return the favor."

"You don't need to tell me twice," Sakura answered, balling her gloved hand into a fist.

Nami and Sakura charged towards Sasori, intent on punching the life out of him.

"You two just won't give up, will you?" Sasori sighed as he started unbuttoning his cloak. "You're awfully persistent…It's been a long time since I've had to use 'myself'."

"Whoa, there," Nami said, "No need to strip."

Sakura ignored Nami's statement; she was too shocked by the sight of Sasori's transformed body. "He made himself into a puppet…?"

"No wonder…He hasn't aged a day," Chiyo muttered.

Sakura hadn't been ready for the sharp blade protruding from the coil in Sasori's stomach that pierced her waist, and as soon as she was pushed back, the blade hooked onto a loose rock high on the wall near the ashes of the Sandaime. Sasori immediately pulled the cord, causing the rock to tumble directly over Nami who had no time to get out of the way completely. The human puppet leapt into the air, rocketing in Chiyo's direction. Just as Sasori felt the surge of sweet victory against his grandmother, he lurched backwards.

"SHANNARO!"

THWACK!

Nami kicked the large stone off of her leg with struggling effort, knowing it was broken. She winced, but saw Sasori's body parts scatter around the area from the intensity of Sakura's punch.

"We…did it!" Sakura said with relief.

"Don't rest!" Nami hollered, "His heart! Get his heart!"

Sakura whirled around only to be impaled by the sharp edge of Sasori's katana from behind. As blood escaped her mouth, Sakura fell to the ground.

"Sakura!" Chiyo shouted.

"I figured you had an antidote…" Sasori said, "That's why you could still move after my attack. But now, it makes no difference."

Sasori froze. Looking down slowly, he saw the same blade that had destroyed his Sandaime Kazekage puppet sticking out of his chest; his heart.

"No difference my ass!" Nami shouted, still in the position that suggested that she had thrown the weapon. She grunted, forced to the ground from her broken leg.

Chiyo quickly stumbled over, turning Sakura to lie on her back, for she had fallen over.

Nami watched as Chiyo healed Sakura. She could feel the exhaustion taking over her body. How much chakra did she use? Nami didn't know. But what she _did _know was that the continuous combat with Sasori…was over.

---

When Kakashi found Deidara, he didn't hesitate to attack. The only way he'd be able to defeat Deidara was to use the Mangekyou Sharingan; it couldn't be wasted. But he couldn't find an opening; not with Deidara moving around all the time. Kakashi would have to catch him unawares somehow. What he wouldn't give for some backup…

Kakashi skidded backwards and away from the creatures that had landed on the ground. Whence they detonated, Kakashi wondered how much more ammo Deidara had left with him. _If he uses it all, I'll be able to defeat him easily, _the masked jounin thought, _but I can't waste any time. If he's fully loaded, I'd either have to find a way to use Mangekyou on him now, or just wait for the others to catch up to me…_ He dodged another several spiders that jumped at him.

"No, no, no…" Deidara muttered to himself, "This won't do, yeah. This will take too long…" He considered using one of his most powerful attacks; one that would wipe out the copy ninja no doubt. All he had to do was lure the jounin into a trap then set his plan into action…

Deidara frowned. He could sense more people coming, and his gut told him they weren't allies of his own.

* * *

This chapter was...difficult to write. I absolutely hate using the Akatsuki in a battle because I can't pull it off all that well. I'm not very familiar with their types of attacks and jutsu, so if it looks like I'm just winging it, I probably am. I pretty much skipped over a lot of Sasori because of that reason, really. It's also because I figured that with Nami around, it would go a bit more quicker too. So now that Sasori is basically done, all I have left at the moment is Deidara and...Shukaku. Wonderful.

AIZOANIME INFO

There are a few updates on AizoAnime that were made last week like the AizoComics section as well as a "Contacts" link merged with the "Links" page. That means if you'd like to talk to one of us (remember that some of us have restrictions...meaning...me) then you can use the e-mail given. Since the gang's coming over tomorrow for a sleepover, the site will be updated not today, but tomorrow!

END AIZOANIME INFO

That's about it for now! I'll try to update on-time come next chapter, but I can't make any promises...Don't let that stop you from reviewing, though! R&R please!

-HM


	15. Revival

Owaaah! Man, am I BEAT! I'm a bit late in the update, but at least the chapter made it before next week went by, right? Most of the reason was because of end-of-the-semseter assignments and finals and plot development...Anyone catch that I not only despise writing Akatsuki battles but putting the Akatsuki into...ANYTHING? I can't seem to get the hang of using such...powerful characters.

YAY! I HIT THE 100 MARK ALREADY! THANK YOU SO MUCH, EVERYONE! I'm not sure when I hit 100 back at Narutoverse no Jutsu, but I'm pretty sure it was later than the 15th chapter. You all make me such a happy Midori. (grin) Now I can say that I'm only 97 more reviews away from 200!

While I'm on a roll of thankfulness, I'd like to bring to attention Midami Uchiha of the sand's story My Life in Naruto: The Story Of Hikari Midori starring yours truly. I've never felt so flattered. I think Midami would be very appreciative if some of you wonderful readers would stop by and give some feedback. Thanks again, Midami-chan, for the honor!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

It hadn't been long until the dog Kakashi sent crossed paths with the large group of Konoha nin heading for the conspicuous lying form of Shukaku. Upon seeing their sensei in such a state, Kyoko and Midori immediately appeared to aid. Knowing that they couldn't very well haul Gaara around and keep both him and Marieke out of danger, Midori was the one legible to volunteer to stand guard in a secluded place. 

_These wounds are so severe, _Midori thought dolefully as she started on a particularly gaping wound on her sensei's arm. The crystal dangling securely from her neck was glowing brightly. Midori had resorted to drawing chakra from it some time ago, and she was thankful for the invented precious trinket. Without it, Marieke's wounds would surely suspend her precariously above the void of death.

Midori glanced at the "sleeping" Kazekage that lay beside her inertly. Remembering the way Kyoko had looked at him ever so dolefully before she left with the others to support Kakashi had been difficult to watch. It was only a few moments ago…

"_**Don't worry about a thing, Gaara," Kyoko muttered with little breath. She ran her caressing hand against Gaara's cold cheek and leaned in to kiss his forehead. "Nothing else will happen to you…I'll make sure of it. You deserve more than this…"**_

"_**Kyoko—" Midori started to offer her friend a few encouraging words, but the look on Kyoko's face stopped her. **_

"_**Midori-chan, please keep this with you," Kyoko said, opening Midori's right hand and placing a folded paper on her palm. "You know what to do with it. After all, you created it."**_

"Midori!"

Midori blinked just in time to see Sakura coming towards her assisting Nami with one arm and a tired Chiyo with the other.

"What happened to Marieke-sensei?!" Nami asked, alarmed. "She's a mess…"

Midori relayed the current events with the three newcomers, and as soon as she had finished, Nami instantly declared, "Well what are we waiting here for? Let's go!"

"You're in no condition," Sakura contradicted. "I mended the bone in your leg but its still fragile. Any more action and I might not be able to help next time."

Nami frowned.

"You go on ahead," Midori said. "There's not much I can do at this point but watch over Gaara and Marieke-sensei and keep an eye on Nami. I'm wiped out."

Sakura nodded, understanding that her peer had already exhausted her energy. "We'll come back." Then she felt a weight leave her and noticed Chiyo steadying herself, eyes silently staring at Gaara.

"Chiyo-baasama…?"

"We must get going now," Chiyo announced.

When the two left, Nami said, "That's weird…I was sure she was going to heal Gaara."

"Maybe…now wasn't the right time."

---

Kakashi let loose a barrage of projectiles targeting Deidara who darted behind a tree before the weapons could slice him. He heard the low thuds of the kunai and shuriken as they embedded themselves into the bark. Daring a peek around the trunk, he instantaneously noticed the burning tags attached to the ends of several knives.

Deidara retreated farther only to be caught unawares by a kage bunshin Kakashi had created the moment Deidara darted out of view. The blond quickly slid away from the clone and jumping off the trunk of a nearby tree, he delivered a flying kick into his chest, reducing the clone to a wisp of smoky white.

Kakashi watched the ninja who was bouncing off branches like an acrobat and started his pursuit. "You can't run from me," the jounin stated.

Deidara smirked and formed his hand into a seal, about to mutter the magic word, "Ka—"

The Akatsuki member was cut short, however, as a tremor ran through the area. It would've been the perfect time for Kakashi to attack, but the copy nin was too distracted by the huge mass of one-tailed demon rising from its temporary slumber.

Shukaku let out an irritated roar as he raised his arms high into the air, destroying a good throng of trees in the process. "Where the hell is that blond bastard who challenged me?!"

Lucky for Deidara, Shukaku hadn't noticed him or Kakashi…yet. Still, the knowledge of the demon already awake made him frown. Sasori hadn't come in time…where the hell was he anyway? Now the artist would have to think up a different plan to get rid of Kakashi _and _put the demon back to sleep.

"Damn…" Deidara mumbled as he started to reach into his clay pouch.

Suddenly, several shuriken thumped against the tree a mere inch from his face. However, this wasn't from the direction Kakashi was.

"Just great, yeah…" Deidara grimaced.

"You're not goin' anywhere!" Naruto declared savagely, pointing a single finger at the Akatsuki member. By his side were Kyoko and Kankuro in ready positions.

"Believe me, I'd really love to stay and capture you as well, yeah," Deidara retorted, "But as you can see, I've got my work cut out for me." Deidara made a run for it, his mind racing for a plan where the only requirements were a limited supply of clay and little chakra.

"Don't even _think _of running away, bastard!" Naruto hollered.

As Deidara ran, he heard the whistling sound of blades flying above him. Looking up, he caught sight of a rain of weapons followed by a descending Tenten. Deidara tried to move out of the way, but was forced back into the sharp edges by the force of Neji's Hakke Hazangeki (Eight Trigrams Mountain Crusher).

Deidara didn't let the enemy have the satisfaction of a pained yelp and took the least amount of pointed projectiles as he could. Then he was forced to dodge a powerful kick from Lee, who flashed out of nowhere from the left, then a volley of attacks from Kankuro's puppets. It wasn't helping that Kyoko was throwing needle after needle with deadly accuracy either. Not to mention the raging spiky-haired blond jinchuuriki thrashing every chance he got.

"You…! Hold still!" Naruto roared. "I'll kill you!" Naruto bounded towards Deidara, chakra seeping from every inch of his body like thick sap. Tails started to form behind the Kyuubi boy, and Kakashi knew it was the time to prevent Naruto from doing anything potentiontally dangerous to him and the people around.

Kakashi darted in front of Naruto as the blond missed Deidara's face and slapped a seal onto his forehead.

At this rate, Deidara knew he wouldn't be able to ever get past the group. Usually he enjoyed chaos, but not when the chaos was against _him_. He could feel the fatigue taking over him; he only had enough chakra for one last attack.

"If I'm going out now, I might as well go out with a bang, yeah!" Deidara announced grandly.

Kyoko's eyes widened in alarm as she realized what the Akatsuki member was meaning to do. Her hands quickly flashed a series of hand seals…a particularly _long _chain. _Come on…faster…faster!_

"What in the—!" Shukaku yelped, turning around to come face-to-face with a tremendous explosion. In an attempt to get away, Shukaku bolted, right in the path of the group of Konoha shinobi.

Kankuro cursed loudly, following alongside his allies hastily.

The place shook as if an earthquake was occuring, but much worse, and Kyoko could feel Shukaku and the explosion would reach them in a matter of milliseconds. Finally the girl's hands ended in a short clap and a shriek of, "Isetsu no Jutsu (Relocation Technique)!"

Naruto blinked, lazy-eyed. The last thing he remembered was Kakashi sticking something to his forehead, then the heat of an outburst. But now…

"Where am I…?" Naruto wondered aloud, looking around with sharpening vision. His eyes rested on the familiar face of Gaara, who was lying several feet away. "What the—Gaara?!" The fox boy instinctively started crawling towards the dormant Kazekage. It wasn't until he was hovering above Gaara that he noticed Kyoko was sitting on the other side of the redhead, breathing heavily.

"What happened?" Naruto asked her. "I thought we all got caught in that guy's attack!"

Kyoko shook her head and began to speak. "We…almost did…" she breathed, "But I used Isetsu no Jutsu…to take us back to where…Midori was…"

Naruto then saw Midori and Nami walking towards them, the more lively of the two messing with his spiked hair good-naturedly. "Finally awake, eh Otouto? Actually, you're the first."

"Huh?"

"Everyone in Kyoko's range hadn't been ready for her jutsu," Midori explained. "So nobody was able to prepare for the after effect. See, you're supposed to adjust your chakra flow to—"

"We don't want to bore the boy, Midori," Nami interrupted. "Basically everyone's knocked out right now, but they're all right. I think Kakashi got crushed somehow, though…His back has a pretty nasty injury and some of his bones are broken."

"Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto sprung up and scanned the ground for his sensei. He found that everyone either had their backs leaning against trees in an almost peaceful manner or lying on the ground like straight logs, similar to the way Gaara was lying. However, Kakashi was on his stomach, face-down. Evidently, Midori and Nami had overturned the silver-haired jounin to inspect and reduce the damage of his back. His green vest was thoroughly totaled and the undershirt was ripped off, uncovering a large wound resembling a jagged pit.

"They weren't burn marks…" Midori remarked, "Kakashi-sensei's injury was horrible…it was like the whole layer of flesh was torn off.."

"That bastard demon was pretty close to us," Naruto mumbled, "And I think Kakashi was behind all of us. I bet he got caught by Shukaku at the last second. He must've been exhausted…Damn it, why didn't I help him?"

"It's okay, Naruto-kun," Midori said, "It's not like he's going to die."

"That's not the point!" Naruto retorted forcefully.

Naruto's loud voice seemed to wake those around him (save Kakashi and Marieke). Sakura was the first to stir, then Neji, Lee, Tenten, etc. After a few short explanations, several things were clear to everyone. One, they had all gotten out of the ordeal alive. Two, the enemy had gotten away. And three, it wasn't over.

Neji then spotted something plastered on the ground nearby; a paper, or more specifically, a seal. The kanji written in black ink at the center of an intricate circle read "location".

"Midori, what is this?" Neji questioned.

"Oh, that? It's the seal that Kyoko used to relocate everyone," Midori answered. "At the time, she had to concentrate on releasing as much chakra as she could to perform the jutsu, and its almost impossible to actually get such a big group in one piece at a single location. That's what this is for. Everyone was automatically transported back here when the jutsu was conducted."

"I see."

Midori nodded, then looked back towards Gaara, who had a total of four people huddled around him: Kyoko, Naruto, Kankuro, and last but not least, Chiyo.

"Chiyo-baasama…" Sakura whispered, unsucessfully trying to hold back her tears.

"I've lived far too long," Chiyo muttered whole-heartedly. "I do hope you'll keep your promise, Naruto. Help Gaara."

Naruto said nothing, but smiled confidently.

"And you…" Chiyo said, turning her head ever so slightly towards Kyoko. "The one who's heart burns so passionately for this brilliant boy…I would say that youngsters never know who to love until they've grown older, but…stay with Gaara. Naruto can't be the only one to support him…"

"Ch-Chiyo-baa…" Kyoko choked, a fresh set of tears cascading from her eyes. "…Thank you…"

The short moment seemed to drag on forever, but the time came when Chiyo collapsed into Sakura's arms and Gaara showed signs of life. The moment he started to sit up, Kyoko immediately threw her arms around the Kazekage's neck and cried, "Gaara!"

Gaara, surprised, hesitantly placed a hand on the back of the weeping girl, using the other hand to prop himself up steadily. His eyes were wide, turning from Naruto, who was smiling wordlessly and Kankuro who looked like he was holding back salty tears.

"Naruto…Kankuro…" Gaara said quietly, not quite sure of what was happening. Then, taking in his surroundings further, the sights shocked him even more. He couldn't believe his eyes. "This…"

"Everyone came running…to save you!" Naruto said, flashing him a grin. "You sure caused us a lot of trouble!"

* * *

I'm sad that I couldn't make this chapter any better, but I had a limited amount of time and as Kyoko says, "It's better than nothing". (sweatdrop) The chapter itself barely reached 2000 words...which...is disheartening as well. So you know what I'm going to do? I'm going to work VERY hard to make next week's chapter the best it can be! After all, my semester ends in just three school days...I. Can't. Wait. 

Ciao for now!

-HM


	16. Departure

Eh...sorry I couldn't get this chapter up earlier. I was trying to lengthen it a little bit but...I don't know, I guess I got my points through in about 1300 words and I just added a little bit more to make it longer...Annoyingly, it still doesn't come up to my usual 2500 (or more). Sigh...how troublesome. Anyway, it's pretty late right now...and surprisingly, I'm not very tired. It's a good thing too, because I've got a lot of things to post onto AizoAnime. So, come tomorrow, I can guarantee that everything (including a sneak peek of the next chapter) that I have will be posted on the website, so please stop by. (smile)

Thanks for the reviews everyone!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

"I'm so glad you're back, Gaara…" Kyoko squeezing the boy's shoulders tightly. "I'm sorry I messed up…I didn't want you to go through that but I just—I thought—" Kyoko has having difficulty expressing herself, but she didn't have to.

"It's fine, I'm all right," Gaara said. His stare caused Kyoko to sob loudly once more and cling to him with over-the-top affection as if she would never let go. She probably wouldn't have if it weren't for an interruption from Temari, who had been making her way through the crowds up relieved Suna citizens and shinobi.

"That's enough already!" Temari scolded, "He's just woken up for god's sake! Let him breathe!"

"Sorry, sorry." Kyoko wasn't eager to feel the wrath of an angry Temari, so she hastily let go of Gaara and moved aside.

"You okay, Gaara?" Temari asked in a kinder tone. "You must be feeling pretty stiff…Don't move around too much."

Gaara just shook his head and coninued to rise with the assistance ot Kyoko, one arm over her shoulder. He successfully gained the appearance of minimal balance, but he still had to lean against the girl to stand. Kyoko didn't mind. Actually, the she was in heaven.

"Gaara-sama! Gaara-sama!"

Now she was plummeting straight toward hell.

Matsuri struggled into view, coming quickly to Gaara with a relieved expression on her face. "Gaara-sama, I'm so happy you're alive! I knew you wouldn't die so easily!"

Gaara simply nodded, then glanced at Kyoko slightly.

"Yeah, he's alive and kicking," Kyoko said with a pained smile. "It's a real miracle."

If Matsuri noticed Kyoko's twitching eye, she didn't say anything. Instead, she put on a confident smile and said, "Even if Gaara-sama is fine, he should still be taken to the Suna medics to make sure! I know where it is, so I can take him."

"There's no need for that!" Kyoko said, suddenly reaching out and grabbing Midori by the arm. "_Midori _is a great medical ninja, so _she _can check Gaara. Not only that, but _Sakura_ is here as well."

"Are you saying that Suna medics aren't good enough?" Matsuri demanded, a forced smile still on her face.

"Of course not, I'm just saying that it would be unnecessary to drag Gaara all the way back into a hospital when there are two perfectly capable medics here! Besides, aren't _your _medics busy with other Suna shinobi?" Kyoko grinned.

Matsuri's smile increased. "Yes well…I suppose you're right…"

The two girls glared at each other with fake smiles, each trying to melt the other with their heated stares, but after Midori cleared her throat, the two broke eye contact.

"Actually, Matsuri, Marieke-sensei and Kakashi-sensei are in much need of medical attention," Midori said.

Matsuri glanced at the two jounin; Marieke leaning against Nami and Gai carrying Kakashi, both unconscious.

"Oh my," Matsuri gasped, gesturing for several Suna medics who dashed over to take the two injured ones.

"We'll see what we can do," one of the men said before disappearing with the others.

"Man, Kyoko looked like she was just about ready to tear that chick's eyes out," Nami whispered to Midori.

"Thank goodness she didn't…"

Nami chuckled, but then a thought occurred to her. "Hey, what happened to Shukaku?"

"AH!" Midori shouted, almost smacking Nami with a startling jolt of the arm. "Shukaku!" She whipped around to face Kankuro and said, "What happened with Shukaku?!"

"Relax. We have some top-notch teams checking out the area as we speak," Kankuro said. "I didn't forget about that demon."

Midori's expression was less tense, but she still looked concerned.

"Hey, hey, I said relax," Kankuro urged. "They'll be back with a report in no time."

---

"The place is scorched…but where's the demon Kankuro was talking about?"

"I don't know…There's no way he'd be lying about something like this, right?"

"Well what other explanation is there? Shukaku just got up and walked away? I think we would noticed that!"

"What'll happen if we don't bring back a report?"

"We have to bring back a report, even if its as unbelievable as this."

Unbeknownst to the squad of Suna shinobi, they were being watched from a distance by a certain Akatsuki member. Zetsu was hidden skillfully, camaflouging himself into the scenery. A hungry urge was slowly eclipsing his mind; he hadn't eaten in quite some time…It wouldn't hurt to have a quick snack here, would it? Besides, he _had _used up most of his chakra to send the half-dead one-tail to the second hideout.

Making up his mind, Zetsu bent his knees then lunged for the Suna group. It was only until he was several seconds away from his prey that they realized what was about to befall them.

"Look ou—!"

---

Everyone was finishing up their last prayers to the elder Chiyo just a few steps before her gravestone which was carved as Suna's symbol. Among Naruto and Sakura, Kyoko was one of the last ones to depart from the grave.

_I_ _hope you got to heaven safely, Chiyo-baa, _Kyoko thought.

When it was time to leave, Naruto shook hands with Gaara, with the Kazekage's assistance, of course.

"Maybe I should stay here, just in case anyone else comes after Gaara," Kyoko suggested.

"What for? He doesn't have the demon inside of him anymore so he's pretty safe," Nami pointed out.

Kyoko gave Nami an 'I-know-that-I-was-just-fishing-for-an-excuse-to-stay' look and sighed.

Nami rolled her eyes.

"We'll be sure to visit again," Midori said.

"You guys know you're always welcome," Temari smiled. Hearing Kankuro's cough, she hit him upside the head.

"Er, yeah," Kankuro nodded, rubbing his bruising skull. "What she said."

"Then…I guess I'll see you some other time, Gaara…" Kyoko said with a small smile. "I'll miss you." She pulled the young man into an affectionate hug, ignoring Nami's false watch-checking gesture in the background.

"We're gonna leave you behind, Kyoko," Nami called.

"I really wouldn't mind that…" Kyoko muttered as she let go of Gaara. Once she saw that everyone was starting to leave, she gave him a quick peck on the cheek then waved cutely. Without another word, she started to jog to catch up with the larger group.

Temari crossed her arms and glanced at her little brother, smiling a bit. Kankuro chuckled when he saw Gaara slowly touch the spot where Kyoko had planted the kiss.

"She won't be away for long, huh?" Temari remarked.

"I'll be surprised if its over a month before we see her again…She's really something," Kankuro answered. "Right, Gaara?"

"…Yeah."

---

Marieke and Kakashi hadn't been able to be cured of their wounds completely by the Suna medics either, and each were wrapped up in a large amount of bandages. Kakashi was unable to move, so he was forced into a piggyback ride on Maito Gai while Marieke was able to walk.

"Catch me if you can!" Gai hollered energetically as he raced off with a flailing Kakashi on his back.

"I see! It is training!" Lee announced, bending over. "Hey Neji—"

"Hell no!" Neji refused with disgust.

"Hey, Lee!" Nami said, hands on hips, "Girl with a half-healed broken leg here!"

"Of course! Forgive me for forgetting!" Lee apologized, allowing the girl to hop onto his back. "This is excellent! Hold on tight!"

"Run like the wind!"

As Lee shot off after his sensei with Nami, the shinobi left standing exchange uncertain glances with each other.

"Geez…" Kyoko muttered.

Marieke slapped her forehead, only to groan from the pulsating pain. "Ow…"

"Sakura," Midori said, "How long do you think Marieke-sensei and Kakashi-sensei will be out of it? My guess is a few weeks but I'm not sure about Tsunade-sama's abilities…would it be less time if she were to heal them?"

"I'm not sure," Sakura answered, shaking her head, "Tsunade-sensei's medical ninjutsu would help out a lot, but you saw how terrible Kakashi-sensei's back was. Marieke-sensei's may be healed in a matter of days once we're back in Konoha though…"

There was no way anyone would be able to catch up to Lee, let alone Gai, so the group took their precious time. No matter what, they would _all _have three more days ahead of them until they got back to the village of Konohagakure.

The three days passed without a hitch and the teams were back in Konoha safe and sound. Mostly, anyway…

"We are going to make it, Nami!" Lee shouted excitedly as he picked up his pace. "We will catch up to Gai-sensei!"

Nami was only half-listening to the green beast, occupying herself with slowly climbing onto the boy's shoulders.

"Hey, what are you—"

"BANZAI!" Nami leapt off of Lee's back at the last second and landed on one foot, striking a pose.

Lee stopped on a dime, only to be socked in the face by his own sensei.

"Lee, I am _very_ disappointed in you! Not coming in second, or third, but…FOURTH! It was I, Kakashi, and Nami who beat you to the finish!" Gai shouted animatedly.

"I am sorry, Gai-sensei!" Lee wailed, getting into the worshipping position and bowing down to Gai. "I promise to do a hundred laps around Konoha before sunset today! No, _two _hundred!"

Meanwhile, Nami was wondering if she should've made that leap. Although her leg should've healed almost completely and she hadn't landed on that particular leg, it was still throbbing somewhat. Then she noticed Izumo and Kotetsu on gate guard duty, wincing at Gai and Lee's theatrics.

"Glad to see us back, fellas?" Nami grinned, though receiving no answer from the pair.

By the time she had finished waving to them, the rest of the Konoha group had caught up.

"It's amazing how ridiculous they can be…" Neji commented with a frown.

"Weren't you trying to catch up to them at one point?" Tenten smirked.

"That's nonsense," Neji huffed, crossing his arms.

Midori giggled, but quickly remembered her sensei and said, "We should get you and Kakashi-sensei to the hospital quickly and send in the report for the mission."

Marieke nodded tiredly. "Yes, that would be best."

"Home, sweet home…" Kyoko sighed happily. The first thing she was going to do after giving Tsunade the details with the others, she was going to write to Gaara. Even though he was likely to be very busy, she was hoping that he'd still have time for her. He wasn't the confused and lonely little boy she met years ago…No, he was the Kazekage. But as she had seen when she was reunited with her crush, he hadn't changed all that much. At least, not by heart.

* * *

I know...I'm revealing my cheesy corniness again. I'm such a fluffball. Since this chapter was so dang short, my present to you will be a quick update on Christmas day (even if you don't celebrate Christmas, think of it as a December gift)! I'm actually excited for the next chapter because I think it'll be fun to write...mostly because I can take a break from the battle scenes that kill me dead.

R&R please! And don't forget to check AizoAnime! (bows) Thank you!

-HM


	17. Encounter: Sai

Eh...relatively late in the day. This chapter is filled with fillery goodness because...well...it sets up for the next arc, really. So expect some random scenarios here. And OMG NO MY CHAPTERS ARE GETTING SHORTER!!!! Sorry about that... I haven't even been able to reply to the wonderful reviews I've gotten...so busy. . In the event that I don't update by New Year's, I wish you all a happy New Year and hope your Christmas/Chanukkah/Kwanza was enjoyable!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

It was amazing how starving one could be after three days of "camping food". To celebrate the first mission back, Team 12 sat together at the Ichiraku Ramen Shop, each ordering a bowl of steaming hot ramen. The heavenly smell lingered in the air, wettening the girls' mouths as they waited.

While staring lazily at the clouds almost in a Shikamaru-ish way, Nami spotted a certain someone sitting atop a roof not too far from the shop. At first glance, the person looked like Sasuke. At second glance, she knew it was Sai.

"Hey, it's Sai!" Nami exclaimed.

Nami's timing couldn't have been worse for Teuchi because Kyoko, who had been drinking a cup of water, splurted the water all over his face.

"Where?!" Kyoko questioned after apologizing to the shop owner.

"Wipe your mouth…" Midori ordered, looking embarrassed.

"On that rooftop!" Nami answered Kyoko, hopping up from her seat and completely forgetting about her ramen. "C'mon, let's go!"

"I'm not going," Midori said.

"Why not?"

"Because I'm in no hurry to meet that jerk," Midori answered. "And I'd like to eat the food I paid for."

"Fine, but take ours to-go for us cuz we're meeting him!" Kyoko said.

Midori sighed as she watched her teammates run off eagerly to talk to the mysterious Root member. _I hope he doesn't slander them too bad, or else they might just kill him…_

Getting up onto a rooftop wasn't difficult for the two girls and neither was appearing in front of Sai. The hard part was actually speaking to the boy.

"Can I help you?" Sai questioned, staring up at the two girls emotionlessly. Sai knew exactly who these girls were. Danzo had told him about the three strange girls who weren't from 'their world'. From what he heard and judging by their appearances, he figured these two were Nami and Kyoko of Team 12.

"We saw you up here and just wanted to say hi," Kyoko said truthfully. "I'm Kyoko and this is Nami."

Sai smiled and the girls immediately knew it was one of his fake smiles. "I am Sai." He stood up, gathernig his things, "If that was all you wanted, then there's no reason to talk anymore, right?"

"Hey wait a minute," Nami said, grabbing his arm and consequently making him drop several of his supplies. "You can't just walk away like that!"

"I can't?" Sai said with ultimate poker face.

"That's no proper way to say goodbye to someone," Kyoko replied.

"Why would I have to listen to people I don't know?" Sai asked.

Sai's stony face was starting to annoy Kyoko, who was trying to calm herself. He was only trying to be sociable, right? But right now she didn't exactly have a comeback…But apparently, Nami did.

"Well you should start," Nami said. "And learn about expression while you're at it. Your face reminds me of someone, but even he had the courtesy to show emotion."

"Really? Who?"

Another fake smile.

"Can't you smile like you mean it?" Kyoko blurted. She couldn't help it. If there was one thing she couldn't stand, it was false feelings or emotion. Kyoko stomped her foot instinctively, but faltered when she heard a 'snap!' Upon lifting her foot, she saw one of Sai's brushes snapped in two.

Sai stared at his broken brush blankly.

"Sorry," Kyoko stuttered.

"It can't be helped," Sai said, bending down to pick up the pieces. "There was no chance my brush would've remained whole under your big foot."

That comment earned Sai a face full of "big foot".

"WHAT DID YOU SAY, DUMBASS?!" Kyoko shrieked, her foot smoking from the force of the blow.

Nami snickered. "At least he didn't say 'Short-Tempered Psycho'. You don't have to beat up on the guy."

"You're not helping," Kyoko growled.

Sai had stayed in a frozen position for several seconds, then stood, a red mark identical to the bottom of Kyoko's shoe pulsing on his face. However, it seemed Kyoko had failed to change his expression at all.

"I guess ugly bimbos _can _be good-natured," Sai remarked, smiling at Nami.

THWACK!

"Wanna say that again, you emotionally-challenged homo?!" Nami demanded, removing her fist from Sai's face.

Sai was confused. He read in a book that people _liked _having nicknames. It meant that the person who gave them the name and they were friends, right?

Now that the boy's face was sufficiently red and puffy, he chose not to comment on the girls' appearances anymore. Evidently, women didn't care for the way he saw them. He had also learned this from that pink-haired girl on his new team…

So Sai decided to make a quick getaway, disappearing before the pair's eyes.

"Asshole…" Nami and Kyoko muttered in unison.

---

"I hate him, Midori-chan," Naruto said. He had found her at Ichiraku before she left and coaxed her into buying him dinner. Now he was telling her about his earlier confrontation with Sai, therapy-style. "He's such a bastard, and Tsunade-baa expects me to go on a mission with _him_ to find Sasuke? It's a joke! She wouldn't even let me choose my own teammates."

"Mm-hm," Midori said, half-listening to the ranting blond.

"I guess this is my test…to see if I'll go to all odds and ends to save Sasuke," Naruto continued.

"Mm-hm."

"Yeah…Thanks, Midori-chan. I'd better go train some more before the big mission tomorrow!"

"Mm-hm."

Naruto jumped up and left at a run, startling Midori. Calming down, Midori picked up the bag holding Nami and Kyoko's takeout, and started heading back to the apartment. She stopped when she noticed a certain second-generation trio standing just outside a building. Curious, she walked over and asked, "What're you three up to?"

"Hi Midori," Ino greeted, "Shikamaru and Chouji are insisting to get some information about some black-haired guy who attacked them this morning."

"We could've done this earlier if Asuma hadn't been so troublesome," Shikamaru sighed.

"Some guy, eh?" Midori said. "This is the third time I've had to deal with talk about him…" she muttered, though Shikamaru heard her.

"What do you mean? You know the guy?"

Midori nodded. "You don't have to go through the trouble of getting info, he's no threat."

"You have the information from your world, don't you?" Shikamaru reasoned.

"That's right."

"I've been meaning to ask about your world…" Shikamaru started.

"Oh, look at the time, gotta go!" Midori said quickly, glancing at her non-existent watch. "See you later!"

After she quickly walked off, Ino said matter-of-factly, "That was pretty rude…"

"She must be hiding something," Chouji remarked.

"That gives me a bad feeling."

---

"Another mission, Tsunade-sama?" Marieke questioned, cringing as she sat up in bed.

"Lay back down, Marieke," Tsunade said, "There's no need to sit up during this briefing."

Marieke did as she was told and said, "Isn't this a little hasty? Why send the girls out on another mission so quickly? I'm not even fit to go on the mission with them…"

"Their chuunin now, Marieke," Tsunade pointed out, "Even if it's by a special case…Besides, it's best to keep them moving. I'm not sure if anyone is targeting them now like the last time they were here, but to keep the village and them safe, these measures are reasonable. After all, Naruto is going through the same type of precautions and I doubt they'd be able to stay cooped up in this village for long."

"That's true…" Marieke agreed. "But…When is this mission? What are the complications and risks? As chuunin surely they'll have a fairly high-ranking mission…"

"I'm afraid you won't be recovered in time for this mission. There was something…strange…in those explosives that injured you. The girls are leaving tomorrow with someone I trust."

"Oh?" Marieke didn't sound happy at all about that.

"Yes. I'm certain you're familiar with him. Sakkaku Norio."

Marieke smirked quietly. "How ironic. To think their new sensei will be that bastard…"

"It's only temporary," Tsunade said. "Once they get back, you'll already be restored to top health."

"Couldn't you give them another mission…? It shouldn't take long to completely heal me, should it?"

"No, but this mission just popped up. It's nothing the girls couldn't handle. Just under B-Rank; all they have to do is retrieve a few special documents from Ohagi no Kuni to the Mitsu no Kuni."

"Special documents?"

"Yes. Apparently, the residents of Ohagi no Kuni feel that extra defenses should be taken for these documents. Of course, we all know how proud those citizens are…I'm sure there is no real threat."

"If you say so. But still…Must it be Norio?"

"He's the only one I could find at the moment," Tsunade said. "Despite your opinions, he's a very capable jounin, you know."

"I know that. I'm just hesitant of what he'll tell my—the girls…" Marieke said hastily.

Tsunade smiled. "Whatever he has to say won't change the girls' judgment of you. Now get some rest. I'll check back up on you tomorrow."

"Yes, Tsunade-sama."

---

Nami had parted ways with Kyoko, claming she had important things to do when in reality she wanted to hunt down Sai and give him a good lesson. Shortly after that, she got news of a new mission from an exhausted-looking chuunin. After reading the details, she pocketed the scroll and remembered she hadn't eaten. Figuring that Midori would have taken the food to the apartment already, she started towards home.

That was when she heard a loud conversation, mostly pertaining to the son of Inuzuka Tsume. The scene wasn't hard to miss; Kiba was hollering his head off while Shino was standing there, looking indifferent.

"Oi, Kiba, can you _be _any louder?" Nami asked.

"I can't help it," Kiba growled, arms crossed. "Shino's being an ass."

Nami raised an eyebrow.

"You know what? It doesn't matter anymore, cuz I'm not talking to Shino anymore. Ya hear that, Shino? I'm giving you the silent treatment! Do you feel left out now? Do ya?"

Shino just stood there for a few seconds then said, "Isn't the point of the silent treatment staying silent?"

"I can't hear you!" Kiba said childishly.

"What's this fight all about?" Nami asked Shino.

"Don't ask him!" Kiba shouted.

"Kiba is mad because I must go on a mission instead of train with him."

"NO. I'm mad cuz you blew me off…again!"

Akamaru barked in agreement.

"Hey, hey, calm down, Kiba," Nami said. "How about I train with you instead?"

"Well—"

"Oh wait, I forgot…" Nami said, pulling out the scroll, "I have a mission tomorrow…"

"You did that on purpose, damn it," Kiba grimaced.

"Stop being childish, Kiba," Shino said. "I have to go home now."

"Yeah! Go ahead and leave! I'm not talking to you anyway!" Kiba called.

"I'm no peacemaker…" Nami mumbled as she inched away from the dog boy before he noticed she was leaving.

---

"My feet aren't big, are they?" Kyoko said as she sipped the rest of the soup from her reheated ramen.

"Well, they're bigger than our feet," Midori said, but speedily added, "But our feet are pretty small!"

Nami snorted, muffling a laugh.

"You suck at pep talks, Midori," Kyoko grumbled.

"You shouldn't even _need _a pep talk," Nami said nonchalantly. "You know everything that guy says is foul."

"Didn't _you _almost break his jaw for calling you an 'ugly bimbo'?" Kyoko said.

"That was because he caught me off-guard," Nami frowned.

"This is why I didn't want to talk to him," Midori said. Can't say I didn't warn you…"

"Shut up," Kyoko and Nami ordered.

Midori smiled. "So we have a new mission, huh?"

"Yeah, but it seems pretty minor," Nami said. "I mean, Tsunade-baa probably let it stay a B-Rank because of the money their offering or something. Whatever."

"Mm…"

"Apparently we also have a new jounin overlooking the mission too," Nami said.

"Not Marieke?"

"Nah, she's still gonna be in recovery. This one's a guy."

"Is he anyone we know?"

"Nope, and the scroll only says his name's Sakkaku Norio and that he's a jounin."

"This'll be interesting then."

"I guess. Maybe he'll be hot."

Midori spat the water she was drinking and sprayed the liquid all over the table.

"Is that all you think about? He's probably like…Marieke's age or something. In other words…_old_," Kyoko said with disgust.

Nami shrugged.

"You _are _a bimbo…"

THWACK.

"OW!"

* * *

It's hard to put yourself in the mind of Sai...at least for me. He's such a complex character, I think. I hope my friends don't take Sai's insults personally...XD 

AIZOANIME UPDATE: If you've been watching, Ask a Shinobi is up and I believe a sneak peek will be due tomorrow. (smile) BTW if anyone's interested in looking at some pics I made in the spirit of Christmas, my profile has my DA account that I'm finally adding stuff to.

That's about all for now! I still have a lot of work ahead of me, so until next time...!

-HM


	18. Sakkaku Norio

OMG IT'S ALMOST NEW YEAR'S! There's so many things I wanna do in 2008...It's been a pretty short year, I must admit, even though it still makes me feel reminiscent. Anywho, FF is being mean to me as I'm trying to type this, and I still have quite a lot to do before the year ends, so thanks for the reviews and enjoy this chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

"The next morning, Team 12 minus Marieke showed up at the designated location mentioned in the scroll Nami had received. They were to await their new instructor in Training Area 14, a grassy spot overrun by thickets of trees and bushes. A lake sat off to the side from where Midori was, sitting with her back against the tree, daydreaming. Nami stood just at the edge of the lake, searching for good-sized rocks to skip across the water. Kyoko was lying on the branch of a tree near Midori's sleepily. The time was 4 AM; the sky was still dark and dotted with stars.

Just as Midori started to drift off to sleep, the sound of kunai thumping against a tree woke her up. Alert, she saw Nami in a position that suggested she had thrown the kunai. However, that was all she saw.

"What?" Midori questioned.

"I thought I saw someone behind me," Nami said, looking around.

"You're seeing things," Kyoko said. "I didn't see anyone."

"What were you watching me for?" Nami defended.

Kyoko rolled her eyes.

Midori sighed, starting to yawn. Then she giggled loudly, feeling as if someone was tickling her sides. The next thing she knew, Kyoko had let out a yelp while falling out of her tree.

"There, I saw it!" Nami shouted keenly, scanning the area.

Midori and Kyoko stood, mirroring Nami's movement and looking for the strange perpetrator.

_Could it be this "Sakkaku Norio"? _Midori thought. _No way…why would a jounin do something like this? _"Meikakugan." Her eyes moved from side to side, sharpening the image of single spots to get closer glimpse of the darker depths of the trees. For a split second, she _did _notice a figure, and quickly whipped out an array of shuriken, tossing them in the general direction.

A second, later, the figure wasn't there, and the only thing Midori caught was that he looked younger than "old".

"We know you're there, so you might as well come out!" Nami stated.

"You girls are no fun," said a male voice from above.

Just then, a boy who looked to be about sixteen or seventeen dropped down from the sky, landing smack dab in the middle of the trio. He wore a black vest over a yellow short-sleeved shirt and black shinobi pants. On his arms and legs were matching arm and leg guards. His reddish brown hair seemed gelled and spiked to the left side while the back of his hair turned upwards slightly. His bright, green eyes gleamed when he stood straighter. He was taller than Midori and Nami, but a few inches shorter than Kyoko.

"Who're you?" Nami demanded. "Are you Sakkaku Norio?"

"Sure," the boy said.

"Are you serious?" Midori said, eyes widening. "You don't look much older than us…"

"Age doesn't matter, baby," Norio said, flashing a grin. "I'm just that good."

Midori turned pink. "E-Eh?"

"Hold on, hotshot," Nami said, placing her hands on her hips doubtfully. "I really doubt Tsunade-baa would've assigned us someone who talks like you to be our captain. And I don't believe you're a jounin either."

"Suspicious, are we?" Norio said as his grin grew. "You weren't able to find me, right? And you three are chuunin, correct?"

"What's your point?"

"I'm too quick for the human eye, something achieved at jounin level," Norio explained proudly. "I don't even have to put much effort into my speed. You're lucky I'm standing still right now, so get a good look. Like what you see?"

"What's your problem?!" Nami shouted, vaguely embarrassed.

"I think this guy's a perv," Kyoko whispered to Midori.

"Oh, really?"

"Don't get into a hissy, Sunshine," Norio said. "Now why don't you three lovely ladies introduce yourselves?"

"The name's Kawa Nami," Nami replied darkly, "_Not _Sunshine."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"Shimizu Kyoko," Kyoko said.

"I had a girlfriend named Kyoko once. She wasn't half as pretty as you."

Kyoko's cheeks turned at least ten shades redder.

"I'm Hikari Midori," Midori said with a short bow, "Sorry for earlier."

"Hey, no problem. I wanted to test you three. I guess we'll have to put some extra effort into this mission," Norio stated.

"We didn't give you our all," Nami argued. "You have no idea what we're capable of!"

"Sure."

"I have a question, sempai," Midori said, "Why did you ask us here this early? Doesn't the mission start around noon? To get to our destination in time, we wouldn't have to leave for another few hours."

Norio shrugged. "Just wanted to get to know my new team, is all. Maybe hang out a bit before the mission."

"Shocker," Nami mumbled.

"I hope you take your missions seriously," Kyoko said, still a bit flustered.

"'Course I do. Now, I'll be back in a flash," Norio said.

"Where are you going?"

"Just wanna check up on something. It won't take long." The boy disappeared, leaving the three girls to exchange glances.

"I don't believe he's our instructor," Kyoko said. "He's just so…not sensei-material."

"And he's only okay-looking," Nami added.

Kyoko and Midori gave Nami a look.

"I'm just saying," Nami said, crossing her arms.

"I don't know," Midori said, "Maybe he's what he says he is…But I wish he didn't act like such a smooth operator."

"What do you care?" Nami said, "Just say your boyfriend's Hyuuga Neji."

"But he's not," Midori said, her face flushing again.

"He's a real creep, though," Kyoko remarked, "And if he's so girl-crazy, why would he be assigned an all-girl team? He's like a mini-Jiraiya, and Tsunade-baa knows what its like to be on his team."

"Maybe she was drunk," Nami guessed.

"That…may not be too far from the truth," Midori sighed.

"I'm back! Anyone miss me? How about a welcome-back hug for your sempai?" Norio requested as he spread his arms out openly.

"I don't know you like that," Nami said.

"Er, no thanks," Kyoko answered.

Midori just averted her eyes.

"Eh…You'll warm up to me," Norio shrugged.

"So um, what are your plans, Norio-sempai?" Midori asked hastily. "There's still a lot of time before our departure."

"Hm…" Norio hummed, "It's too early for any of the restaurants to be open…So how about we go to my place?"

The Sakkaku household was small and tidy, something that didn't fit Norio's personality. While Norio left into the kitchen to get everyone breakfast, Team 12 lounged in the living room, sitting on the long couch.

"This is so weird…We've never even _been _to _Marieke-sensei's _house," Kyoko said. "And now on the first day this guy invites us in."

"To think this is _his _house," Midori added. "It's so clean. I don't see any spots or—oh wait." She spotted a paper folded into a square the size of a thumb on the floor and instinctively picked it up.

"What's that?" Nami asked.

"I don't know…Norio-sempai probably dropped it."

"Lemme see. And stop calling him 'sempai', he is so not," Nami said, taking the paper and unfolding it.

"I don't think you should…"

"I don't believe this," Nami hissed, lowering her voice.

"What?" Kyoko questioned. She looked over Nami's shoulder and raised an eyebrow. "This is…a list? Haruno Sakura……Hyuuga Hinata…Tenten? What _is _this?"

"My guess is it's a list of all the girls around our age," Nami murmured. "We're on this thing too. I bet he added it after he met us. What a freak."

"You don't suppose the Xs are for…" Kyoko started.

"I've seen this before," Nami said, nodding. "This guy's rating the girls in the village."

"It's none of our business," Midori said, though she was unable to hide how miffed she was or the curiosity of how she was 'ranked'. _But still…what a jerkface…_

"He only rated me a three?!" Nami exclaimed, enraged. "And Ino's an eight?! Sakura's a _nine_? I'm gonna give this guy such a beating…I don't care if he's our captain!"

Suddenly, the girls heard a crash from the kitchen. On impulse, they ran into the kitchen to see what had happened. The first thing they saw was Norio fly across the room against the opposite wall by an older man who had short, dark brown hair and a black sleeveless shirt, similar to an ANBU's and black pants. Two straps crossed his chest and on his back were two visible hilts of swords.

With no time to demand what was going on, Kyoko let loose a hail of needles targeting the intruder. However, the man vanished before Kyoko's eyes. The next thing she knew, she was pinned to the wall with several daggers. "What the—!"

The man moved onto Nami, who had just finished a chain of hand seals. "Hi Muchiutsu no Jutsu (Fire Whip Technique)!" The lines of fire trailed from Nami's fingers and with a quick thrash of her hand, Nami sent the whips in the man's direction. The intruder reached for his swords and swiftly countered the flames and forced Nami to step back.

All the while, Midori had come to Norio's aid, checking his condition. The boy hadn't been scratched up too bad; all he had was a huge lump on his head and black eye.

"What's going on here, sempai? Who _is _that?" Midori demanded speedily.

"Well—"

"I'll tell you who I am," the man said.

Midori and Norio looked up, realizing the intruder had successfully pinned Nami as well. Gathering chakra to her hands, Midori got into a ready position to fight.

"I am Sakkaku Norio and this little bastard is my son, Satoshi," the man proclaimed.

"Eh?!" Midori, Nami, and Kyoko exclaimed.

Midori dropped her hands and stared from the man to Norio, finally noticing the resemblance. "But…hesaid…_he _was Sakkaku Norio!"

The man raised an eyebrow. "You believed Satoshi was your new instructor?"

"Well…"

"He's only a chuunin," the real Norio interrupted. "The only thing he's good at is running away." He knocked his son on the head with his fist, adding another rising lump.

"OW! Dad!" Satoshi protested.

After taking Kyoko and Nami (who were unscathed) down from the walls, Norio forced Satoshi to apologize.

"I don't know what I'm gonna do with this boy…" Norio sighed, shaking his head. "First thing he does after he hears I'm going to take over a team of girls and he pulls something like this. I don't know what's going on in your head, boy—scratch that. I don't _want _to know what's going on in your head, but another stunt like this and you'll get more than a beating from me." He glanced at his three new disciples and said, "I wanted to do a little training exercise and get to know your abilities but now that all that time's been wasted…" he glared at his son once more, "We'll just have to just set off on the mission."

The girls exchanged glances. They had all been duped from the start, and they weren't about to let this Satoshi guy off without a lesson.

"Norio-sem…taichou," Midori said sweetly, "You wouldn't mind if we had a little talk in private with Satoshi-kun, would you?"

"Not at all," Norio said, stepping out of the room. "Five minutes."

"Wait, dad—"

As he closed the doors, Norio listened carefully. He smirked when he started to hear the pounding sounds of fists and his son's desperate cries. Crossing his arms, he leaned against the wall and thought: _I wonder how much damage Marieke's students can do in five minutes? If they're anything like Marieke was back then…a _lot.

* * *

Sort of a silly chapter. I actually woke up yesterday and then this idea suddenly came to me. Strange, is it not?

I hope everyone has a happy New Year! Let's hope for the best together!

R&R please!

Until 2008...!

-HM


	19. Blast to the Past

Naaaa...sorry for such a late update, everyone. My whole city had a powerout on update day last week and I didn't get my power back four days after. Events like this make you appreciate the little things more...I found out I don't like living like a cavewoman. (dies) So that's my legitmate excuse. (nods)

Thanks for the reviews and for being so patient! You guys are so great! (tear)

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

"Now which one of you three can I trust to keep the documents safe?" Norio questioned.

"Me!" Kyoko and Nami answered in unison.

Midori watched them glare at each other, _some things never change… _

_Your students are pretty eager, Marieke…they lack control, though…I'll have to change that. _

"Excellent!" Norio stated, "But I'll have you girls know that I don't warm up to students very easily. I like young shinobi like yourselves to prove to me your worth until I completely trust your ability. We still have a way to go to receive the documents, so until then, show me your all."

"Yessir!" the girls chimed, saluting him. After all, they didn't want to end up like Satoshi.

---

_Well, this is pretty depressing, Marieke, _Marieke thought, as she lay in bed. _You're about as useful as you were when you met Norio. And now you've gone and let him have his way. _

Marieke had met Norio way before she started training with Genka Bakuro or even known him. No, she was simply a student among the many whose dream it was to become a ninja in Konoha's Academy. Their first encounter was when their sensei, a tall, husky man with large hands and a bandana had the students take part in an exercise. He split the class up into pairs, claiming that the students would be put onto teams as soon as they graduated after a long time. Starting out slow with simply a partner would be a good start.

As fate would have it, Marieke and Norio were paired together. Neither really had any knowledge of what the other was like. Marieke knew Norio did well in demonstrations from watching him when sensei called him up to the front of the class. Norio had been caught clowning around and teasing the girls during a lecture, and sensei had not been pleased. It was only a week into the school year, and certain that the boy would know nothing of what they had been learning just the day before, sensei ordered Norio to transform himself into something.

Shrugging, Norio hopped down to the front of the class and promptly shouted, "Henge!" Much to his teacher's surprise, as the smoke faded away, there stood a copy of himself. However, a few details were added. Buck teeth and a huge nose, to be exact.

That little stunt had gotten Norio a week of cleaning duty.

Marieke knew that Norio had excellent control of his chakra and even genius-like abilities. The fact was, he was strong and she hadn't even reached the level of proficient yet. There were two ways a six-year old ninja-in-training would look at a situation like this: 1. Love that they had a strong partner or 2. Hate that they weren't the stronger partner. Marieke would've been under option 2.

The name of the game was Capture the Flag. Each pair was given a flag dyed a certain color (Marieke got orange, much to her dissatisfaction) and it was everyone's job to hide their flag and collect as many flags as they could before theirs was taken. If their flag was taken, one of the instructors overlooking the activity would take them out of the game. Each child had a handkerchief wrapped around one of their arms that signified their color. If another team stole one player's handkerchief, then both members of the opposite team were out.

Not only was being able to go into the forest exciting the students, but so was the thought of being able to show how dedicated they were to become ninja for the first time. The second sensei had blown the whistle, the little tykes zoomed off to hide their flags.

"Let's hide ours up there!" Norio shouted, pointing up a huge tree.

"How're we supposed to get up there?" Marieke questioned.

Norio put his hand to his chin and hummed with his eyes closed. "I know!" Norio took the flag from Marieke and started shimmying up the tree, arms around the trunk. This proved to be worthless, for his tiny arms weren't even able to connect on the other side of the trunk.

"You look dumb," Marieke said bluntly. "But it is a good hiding place…If we can't get up there, then everyone else probably can't either…"

"Wait, wait, I know!" Norio said brightly, standing up straight with his hands together. He closed his eyes and 'ommed' like a monk. "_Oooooommmm_."

"_What _are you doing?" Marieke questioned. She was sure the other teams had already found places and were seeking out other flags as she spoke.

"SH!" Norio ordered. He continued with his eyes closed for several seconds, and right before Marieke felt it was necessary to punch him, he opened his eyes and shot towards the tree. Marieke's eyes widened when she saw Norio not stop but started running _up _the tree. How in the world was he doing that?

Norio reached the first branch about seven or eight feet up the tree, stuck the flag into the leaves to hide it from view, and sailed towards the ground. The boy didn't seem to know how to fall right, seeing as he landed right on his noggin.

"Yowza…" Norio groaned, rubbing his head. "That hurt."

"How did you do that?" Marieke asked.

Norio grinned toothily. "I watched my big brother practice it!"

"But I want to know how to do it!"

"Too bad!" Norio said cockily. "You wouldn't be able to do it anyway!"

"I would so!"

"Nuh-uh!"

Marieke turned red, crossed her arms, and pouted. "I don't want to learn from a dummy like you anyway!"

The two decided to go scouting for other flags, and it wasn't long before they spotted a bright yellow one hidden in a bush.

"Haha, this is easy!" Norio remarked, running towards the bush. "We're gonna win for sure!"

As soon as he got within two feet of the flag, a boy leapt out from behind a tree and tackled Norio to the ground with a roar.

Alarmed, Marieke shot at the boy before he could tear the orange cloth off of Norio's arm. She wrestled with the boy across the grass and shouted, "Hurry, get the flag! Get it! Get it!"

"I'm goin', I'm goin'!" Norio shouted back.

Despite her limitations, Marieke had fairly strong arms for a six-year old girl, mostly from doing yard work and carrying bags for her parents. However, once she got a good look at the boy she was tussling with, her cheeks turned a crimson red. The dark-haired kid was none other than Hiruma Daichi, the boy who lived in her neighborhood and her crush. Marieke quickly jumped up and off of Daichi. Luckily, Norio had already taken the flag and was waving it in Daichi's face.

"Na-na!" Norio laughed, "You lose!"

Daichi frowned and looked past Daichi at his teammate who was peeking out from behind a tree. "Yowaki! How come you didn't do anything?"

Yowaki inched out and sheepishly said, "Sorry…"

Daichi groaned as one of the instructors appeared to take them to the "loser's circle", as Norio called it.

"I bet we were the first ones out…" Daichi sighed.

"I bet!" Norio grinned. His grin immediately turned upside-down when a sharp slap against the head by his female teammate connected. "Hey! What was that for?"

Marieke just harrumphed and started walking away. "Why'd it have to be Daichi-kun's team that we got first? Now he's going to hate me forever…" she mumbled unconsciously.

"What'd you say?" Norio asked, catching up to her.

"Um, nothing," Marieke claimed. She'd have to learn to stop talking aloud…

Once the exercise had ended, Marieke and Norio hadn't been the ones who won. No, they had only achieved fourth place. Marieke could've guessed it was because Norio had been such a dummy and got caught by an enemy team and had the handkerchief pulled off. However, they still were awarded praise for being one of the only teams without their flag being found. Marieke had to admit that she was still curious about that magic tree-walking skill Norio displayed earlier…

Several years later, Marieke and Norio graduated from the Academy. Over the years, Norio harassed Marieke and Marieke had pounded Norio. Every day throughout their years in the Academy, the classroom was the stage for the ongoing contest of who was better. It was the typical best-friendship.

Norio had tremendous chakra control and could do anything with it from strengthening his blows and being quick on his feet, but Marieke was the one with brains and brute strength. However, Norio was the one who ranked top in the class and Marieke hadn't even made the top three. She knew the moment she was informed that she'd never hear the end of it.

"What happened to ya, Marieke?" Norio questioned as the two walked home from school. Although they lived moderately far apart, Marieke always went to Norio's home after school stating there was nothing to do at her own house. The truth was, Marieke didn't particularly like her parents nagging her about spending so much of her life unproductively chasing her dream to become a kunoichi. They didn't like the thought of a ninja career for their only daughter.

"I don't want to talk about it," Marieke mumbled.

Norio smirked. "So then I guess I win the war. I'm the best!" Just as he started his victory dance, Marieke wrapped her arm around his neck and started giving him a rough noogie.

"Hey, watch the hair!"

"Don't act so high and mighty, hotshot," Marieke said. "I'm not done yet. Scores don't mean anything."

"Then how come you're always bitching about my grades?"

Several seconds later, Norio was rubbing a lump on his head courtesy of Marieke.

"The point is, you may have won the battle, but not the war," Marieke huffed.

"That line's so overused its not even funny," Norio remarked.

"Hmph."

"You know what I think?"

"You think?"

"Ha, ha. I think you got average scores on the exam on purpose," Norio said slyly.

"Tch. What're you talking about?"

"You know that we're gonna be put into teams according to our level since my bro already told me. Since I got the highest and you got average, there'd be a good chance that we'd be on the same team. Am I right, or am I right?"

"Why the hell would I wanna be on the same team as _you_?" Marieke said with disgust.

"Cuz you love me," Norio grinned.

"Keep dreaming, wise guy," Marieke said, rolling her eyes.

Actually, what Norio had said wasn't far from the truth. She _did _get average scores because she wanted to be on a certain someone's team, but it was definitely not Norio. Hiruma Daichi had ranked third in the class, meaning she would have an even better chance of being on the same team as him. But she'd never tell Norio that. He'd just blab to everyone else who her crush was.

She had to admit what she was doing was superficial…she was trying to alter the hands of fate, after all. Getting average scores mildly hurt her dream, but she wasn't going to let that stop her. Like she said, scores didn't mean anything. Still, she secretly wished she had the chakra abilities that Norio did. She envied his talent in ninjutsu while she stuck to taijutsu. Taijutsu wasn't bad to use, but she felt that there was less chance of injury while using ninjutsu or genjutsu. As much as she hated to admit it, she had lousy chakra control; average.

On the day of the splitting of students, Marieke was placed on a team separate from Daichi. Feeling disappointed, she waited for her name to be called. When that time came, the names following her own was, shockingly, Sakkaku Norio. Her other teammate was Yowaki, one of the worst in the class, but that was the least of her worries.

"Well, whaddaya know?" Norio laughed, turning to the girl who had slammed her head against the desk. "Looks like we're comrades."

Meeting their sensei, Marieke found out just how much she had to improve. Her team had past the genin exam, but the training days afterwards were hell. One day after training while Marieke and Norio were exiting the training grounds, Marieke stated, "Our sensei's a jerk."

"Yeah, he's kind of an asshole," Norio agreed.

"You know what I wanna do when I'm older?" Marieke said, "I want to become a sensei…I'm gonna show our sensei that you don't need to force students to train like dogs to turn them into good shinobi."

"I think you have too many goals," Norio snorted. "You're never gonna finish all of them if you don't choose just one."

"Says you."

"Besides, you wouldn't even make a good teacher."

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Marieke demanded.

"I bet you'd beat up your students," Norio snickered as he dodged Marieke's fist. "It's true! But I think I wanna be a sensei too."

"Just because I want to be," Marieke frowned, "You're always copying me, Norio! Be original once in a while, will you?"

"I'm as original as original gets," Norio argued.

"Not true and you know it."

"Well you know what? If I we both turned out to be teachers, I'd definitely be the better one. Hell, even your students would probably love me."

"Tch."

---

Marieke couldn't help but smile at her childhood. Things were so much more fun when she was younger. Norio was a pain in the ass, but he was a good comrade. Although he had never really become a sensei, he had achieved ANBU status after she had become a sensei. After that, she didn't see much of him.

"I wonder if he's changed at all…" Marieke muttered.

* * *

A little Marieke background story! Yay! I've had little or no inspiration in the arts lately...that includes drawing and writing. :( I'm sure I'll get my groove back sooner or later. XD But for now, back to work! 

P.S. Some updates should be up on AizoAnime sometime this weekend for those who are interested!

R&R please! See ya next time!

-HM


	20. Not Marieke

Gosh, sorry for the late update, guys! I guess I'm slacking off, especially with AizoAnime. I wasn't feeling very good three days ago, and even though I didn't have a fever, I felt pretty crappy. But two days ago (or Update Day) I seemed to be cured with Vitamin L.O.V.E. XD (Long story...) The point is, I'm back on track! Thanks for the reviews AND waiting, everyone!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

The foursome arrived in Ohagi no Kuni when the sun was high in the sky. After accepting the important documents, Kyoko ended up being the first one to carry the papers. Traveling for such a long distance with only a five-minute rest break in between, the girls felt like it was time to take a break. Their new sempai, however, did not.

"Don't tell me you girls are tired already," Norio said matter-of-factly. "Is that how Marieke trained you three? Not the Marieke I know…"

"Just what are your connections to Marieke-sensei, Norio-taichou?" Midori asked, still attempting to catch her breath.

"We go way back," Norio said, "I can't say I was too happy when she decided to travel the world, but I knew she'd come back. She just couldn't handle our sensei's exercises. She's turned into quite a fine shinobi, though…After me, of course," he added with a cunning grin.

"Are you saying you're better than Marieke?" Nami questioned, raising an eyebrow.

"_No_," Norio said hastily, "I'm just saying that I always have been…who knows, really?"

_I don't like this guy…_ Nami thought. _Sounds like the sexist type…_

"I don't know what type of training Marieke has you do," Norio said, "But I'm sure mine is very different."

"If you mean she doesn't work us to death, you're wrong," Kyoko said grumbled.

Norio offered a grin. "Good to know."

A few hours passed before Midori started to slow down conspicuously, following at several yards behind the other three. Kyoko and Nami were desperately trying to breathe normally, their legs screaming from the long-term abuse. It was then Norio decided to stop for a ten-minute break on the panting girl's behalf. The minute Norio gave the word, all three of the girls plopped down in their own space, sweating furiously. They were now in a dim, quiet forest. Light was seeping faintly through the lush treetops, and the only noises around were the sounds of the three kunoichi breathing heavily and maybe a bird or two.

Norio casually sat down on a log, observing the girls. _The stamina's kind of low with this group...Kawa and Shimizu seem to have more physical ability than Hikari, but that jewel tied around the girl's neck... _Suddenly, Norio stood up and brushed himself off in a business-like fashion. "I'm going to scout the area quickly, girls. It'll only take a minute or two." He heard a collective mumble from the group as he left.

"You don't think this guy can beat Marieke, do you?" Nami questioned, rolling onto her stomach.

Midori and Kyoko shrugged.

"Come _on, _guys!" Nami said, surprised. "You serious? She could whip his ass, I bet!"

"Who knows?" Kyoko said.

Nami rolled her eyes. "No faith in our sensei. You two make me sick. _Sick_, I tell you. SICK."

"We get it, Nami," Midori sighed. "Look, it's hard to say. I mean, we haven't seen Norio-taichou's all yet."

Nami was about to retort when Kyoko suddenly slammed her fist behind her, almost breaking an intruder's nose. Her two teammates immediately stood up, and the moment they did, they were surrounded by a crowd of ninja. It was impossible to tell which village they were from or if they were just rouge, for they wore no forehead protectors.

"And I thought this mission was gonna be boring," Nami remarked.

"Were you cowards too afraid of Norio to take us on with him around?" Kyoko questioned, offended.

"We aren't stupid," one of the men spat. "We know our limits. That big guy's Konoha village's Stinger, and we're not about to take him and his fancy feet on. Now three little girls…that we can handle without a sweat."

"That's what you think," Nami said, about to start a chain of hand seals.

"Nami!" Midori interrupted alarmingly, "Nothing too flashy! You'll turn the woods into a fireplace!"

Nami frowned and started a different set, "I know that!" She outstretched her hand and with a quick swipe of her hand, her katana appeared. She charged towards the first enemy she saw and aimed to lob his head off.

Meanwhile, Kyoko was tossing needle after needle with deadly accuracy, taking down each ninja with four or five needles. Her hawk-like eyes targeted every vital point of the body successfully.

Speaking of hawks, Midori had summoned a small bird which was now perched on her arm while her back was watched by her teammates. "Tall, good build, and dark, brown hair. Find Norio-taichou." She lifted her arm sturdily, helping the bird take off. Then, signaling to both Kyoko and Nami, she began making hand signs.

Kyoko and Nami ran towards each other. Nami gave Kyoko a boost, throwing her straight up into the air. Then flipping backwards herself, she allowed herself some time to form a few hand seals. She slammed her hand into the ground and bellowed, "Earth Style: Earth Trap Technique!"

It seemed as if the ground below instantly closed over the feet of the enemy shinobi's feet, leaving most of them immobile on the spot. The few who were able to avoid the trap were pelted with the needles Kyoko was hurling from the air.

Midori had created a shield of chakra, protecting Nami and herself from Kyoko's rain of needles. The weapons bounced off the rounded walls, completely harmless to the two girls inside, but awfully deadly to those outside. As soon as Kyoko's feet touched the ground, many of the men were left unconscious and bleeding.

"Let's get out of here," Midori said, taking down the barrier. As she led her teammates away from the battlefield, she secretly wondered what happened to Norio and the bird she sent.

---

Marieke was ecstatic. She was now allowed outside the hospital, and she couldn't feel any better getting out of that dim place. To celebrate, she decided to treat herself to a late lunch at the barbecue place. The deliciously cooked meat definitely hit the spot and it just so happened that as she was paying the bill, she spotted Asuma and Kurenai entering the restaurant. She smiled slyly. Her mask wasn't present, and neither was her usual ninja attire, but an everyday blue dress. She could guess that the pair hadn't noticed her yet since neither of them had usually seen her without the shinobi outfit, and they seemed too deep in conversation anyway.

As soon as Asuma left to order food, Marieke strolled over to Kurenai's table and said, "Afternoon, Kurenai!"

"Marieke," Kurenai said, surprised, "Good to see you out of the hospital." She smiled.

"It is," Marieke agreed. "So, here with Asuma, are we?"

"Yes," Kurenai nodded, still smiling.

"How's the relationship? He's being fair, right? Because if he isn't, I can—"

Kurenai laughed good-naturedly. "No, no, everything's fine. Just fine."

"Very nice," Marieke remarked, "Well, I'd better not intrude any longer." Marieke winked at the red-eyed woman just as she exited.

---

A few minutes later, the girls were out of the woods and had gotten as far as a small, trickling river before they stopped. The three were discussing a plan of action to find Norio when literally out of nowhere he appeared with the bird Midori summoned on his shoulder.

"Where the hell were you?" Nami demanded, jumping up. "You call that scouting? We were freaking ambushed!"

Norio shrugged. "I figured I'd like a preview of what you three could do. Those grunts were perfect practice, right? Hikari. I believe this is yours."

Midori nodded hesitantly and the bird disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Nami grimaced.

"I think you girls have teamwork down," Norio continued, "I shouldn't be surprised. Not bad. Not bad at all."

Night started to fall by the time the group got three-quarters towards their destination. The group was forced to camp out the old-fashioned way on Mother Nature's establishment with thin sleeping bags and a crackling fire. Norio proffered taking the night watch, and no one disagreed. But he didn't seem to want to keep watch where the girls were sleeping, but in the shadows and out of sight.

"What are you so mad at?" Kyoko asked Nami. "I mean, what Norio did sounds like something Marieke would've done too."

"Doesn't he bother you? At all?" Nami questioned.

"Not really…"

"Why? Does he bother you?" Midori said in a surprised tone.

"Well, yeah."

"How come?" Kyoko asked. "He seems okay to me. I mean, despite calling us by our surnames…that kinda bugs me…"

"I don't know."

"I think you're making him out to be worse than he really is," Midori commented. "Norio-taichou is…different from Marieke-sensei, but that doesn't mean he's not a good captain."

Nami frowned and said, "Well, whatever." She turned her back towards the other two uncomfortably. "I'm tired. G'night."

"'Night," her friends answered.

Norio was listening in on the conversation from the shady trees the whole time, but it wasn't like he cared much for it. Teenage girls were teenage girls, and he knew from experience that some girls couldn't be forced to change. At least, not while they were aware of it.

A few hours into the night, Nami woke up to answer nature's call. She sleepily walked into a secluded area and did her business awkwardly, cursing natural environment's lack of toiletry. Just as she finished, she could've sworn she heard a twig snap somewhere behind her. Enraged, she hastily turned around to catch a glimpse of the crunching of the moving bushes. Then someone tall stepped out into the clear.

"So many bugs around," Norio said nonchalantly, dropping the body of a faceless ninja on the ground.

Nami turned red. She was speechless. What was she supposed to do? Thank him? Knock him out?

"What do you not like about me, Kawa?" Norio asked.

Nami crossed her arms and avoided eye contact. "Well…You…You're not…"

"Marieke?"

"No!" Nami said a little too quickly. "I was gonna say you were a child abuser! I mean, do you _always _punch Satoshi? You can give him some really bad head trauma if you keep beating him upside the head like that!"

That got Norio to crack a small grin. "You're probably right. But I still think my first guess is right too."

"You're probably right," Nami muttered.

"I don't expect you to warm up to me right away," Norio said, "And despite what Marieke says, I'm really not a bad person."

"Actually, Marieke never mentioned you."

CRASH.

Nami raised an eyebrow when Norio animatedly fell over, then bounced back up again.

"She didn't, did she? Well, I guess that explains Hikari's earlier question," he said briskly. "Well, either way, it doesn't matter to me if you like me or not. I'm not gonna try to make you like me. I'm just your captain. Once we're back in Konoha, guesses are that you'll be back in Marieke's care."

"Great. Cuz I'm not planning on liking you."

"Fine."

"Fine."

"Fine."

"Stop that."

"Fine."

---

The next morning, Midori woke up to an unasked-for alarm clock. Back at home, she had always woken up to music, but the radio was nothing like what she was hearing now.

"Norio…taichou…?" Midori said uncertainly, looking around to the source of the crackly voice singing none too quietly. Stepping her way through some shrubs, she caught sight of the brown-haired man strolling at the river's edge singing merrily.

"Taichou?"

Norio whirled around. "Hikari! Uh, you're up early!" he chuckled nervously.

Midori raised an eyebrow. "Yes…" She couldn't help but crack a smile, though she was a bit disturbed. "Um…what were you doing just now?"

"Can't a man sing in his spare time?" Norio said, offended.

"Well, I guess, but—"

"Enough small talk," Norio interrupted, "Since you're up, I might as well tell you that we're going to take a shortcut through Kusa to get to Mitsu faster."

Midori's eyes widened slightly. _Grass Country? Isn't that where the Tenchi Bridge is…?_

"You look surprised. Why?"

"No reason," Midori said hastily. "I'll relay the message to Nami and Kyoko. Keep practicing those high notes, taichou."

Norio's ears turned slightly red and he quickly turned around.

_Kusa no Kuni and the Tenchi Bridge…_ Midori thought with a worried look on her face. _That means there's a possibility that if we cross into that territory, we might end up seeing Naruto-kun's group. Or worse…Orochimaru.

* * *

_Okay, NOW I know my chapters are slowly getting shorter and shorter. I do not like that. :( So if next chapter turns out to be a lot longer than the last ones, you'll know why.

AIZOANIME INFO: A few updates on AizoAnime including a sneak peek for the next chapter. Midori-chan's gonna get her rear in gear and use the three-day weekend to her advantage! ;) And sorry about last week's false alarm...I had more schoolwork to do than I thought...

R&R please! Thanks for reading!

-HM


	21. Long Time, no See

A THOUSAND PARDONS EVERYONE!! This chapter took me WAY too long to write, let alone update. Friday was very tiring and I had a concert that took all of my time yesterday. Not to mention I somehow forget EVERYTHING that happened with Sai and had to seek him out in the manga chapter. But that's OKAY. Here's the chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

"We aren't by any chance crossing the Tenchi Bridge, are we?" Midori asked nervously as the group took a left.

"We are, actually," Norio said. "Does it bother you?"

"No, just wondering."

Norio shrugged and turned his head to face forward again. The girl was such a bad liar.

"You're worrying too much," Kyoko whispered to Midori. She and her teammates were traveling a few meters behind Norio, careful to talk as quietly as possible. "It may not even be on the same day, so there's no reason to tell him or anything."

"Maybe you're right…" However, her intuition told her the opposite.

"Hey Norio," Kyoko called, "You've seen what we can do. So what exactly can you do?"

"Wasn't back at Konoha enough for you three?" Norio said with a grin. "A shinobi never reveals their secret technique unless completely necessary."

"On a mission like this, it'll never be necessary," Nami mumbled.

"You never know," Norio said.

"I hope that's not going to become a catch phrase," Nami retorted.

Norio smirked.

---

It wasn't fair. Why did that old fart get to hang around a group of teenage girls for _days_ while he was stuck doing grunt work? Satoshi wasn't happy. Sure, there were still a hell of a lot of better-lookers in Konoha, but he was hoping for some action as well, and Konoha hadn't had any action since years ago. Maybe he should move to Sunagakure…

He seemed to be so deep in consideration that he hadn't noticed the woman standing with her back to him until he bumped into her.

"Whoa, sorry, Ma'am!" Satoshi said, leaping backwards.

"That's quite all right," the woman said, turning around. Then he recognized her.

"Marieke!" Satoshi exclaimed. "You're out of the hospital?"

"Well if it isn't Satoshi," Marieke smiled, placing her hands on her hips. "My, you're looking more like your father everyday…"

"I like to think that I'm better-looking," Satoshi shrugged. "How come you never come around anymore?"

"Well…both your father and I are very busy," Marieke answered, "Shinobi don't usually cross paths very much unless it's on the battle field. Understand?"  
"Yeah, I guess," Satoshi said.

"Do you know when your father is coming back from his mission?"

"The mission's supposed to go on for three or four days, I think," Satoshi replied.

_By tomorrow morning, they'll have been gone for two days…_Marieke thought. _The moment of truth is coming. Will you have lived up to your big talk so many years ago, Norio?_

---

The group of four had been traveling for a while now, and Nami was starting to wonder if the so-called shortcut was as short as Norio had made it out to be. Nami lost count of how many hours passed by this time, but it was no small number. She knew Midori was getting weary again, which annoyed her internally. There was no way Norio would respect this team if things kept going this way. They had to show him that they were strong in all areas against all obstacles.

Midori seemed to start to say something, but a loud rumbling interrupted her. The team stopped, letting the ground shake precariously under their feet. Then, piercing winds that burned their skin like fire stormed from the direction they were headed.

"Earthquake?!" Kyoko shrieked.

"Keep moving!" Norio ordered, bowing his head down to avoid the wind as much as he could.

"Are you insane?!" Midori shouted. She could barely move. The sheer intensity of whatever was flowing through the air was keeping her back.

"It's an order!"

Midori wasn't going to argue with that, and once she saw her teammates moving forward, she had no other choice but to do so as well. There was no doubt about it. This power was coming from Naruto, and that meant they were close.

---

"Sai! Catch Sakura!" Yamato ordered.

If Sai heard Yamato, he chose not to do anything, because Sakura continued to plummet downwards. Yamato's eyes widened in confusion and he cursed inwardly. Before he could take matters into his own hands, however, a large bird the size of Sai's inked creation swooped down and caught Sakura in its talons.

Yamato turned his attention to the four newcomers. "What…?" he muttered, though he was relieved. "What are you doing here?" he called.

"We were just passing by!" Norio answered, stepping onto the stable part of the broken bridge. "We thought we'd check out all the commotion!" He surveyed the damage of the area and thought, _what could've done all this? _

"I'll explain later!" Yamato shouted as he used Mokuton no Jutsu to give himself a bridge, "I'm going ahead to get Naruto!"

"I'll go with you!" Norio volunteered. He turned to Midori, who had her hand placed on Sakura's forehead, and said, "Once the girl wakes up, wait for me to give you a signal before you follow."

"Signal?" Midori questioned.

Norio nodded, handing Kyoko an attachable communication radio from his bag and fastening one of his own onto his neck. "You'll know when to come." Without another word, he stepped onto Yamato's makeshift bridge. As soon as he reached the other side, the wood detached from the bridge, as if to keep the girls on the other side for good.

It was then Sakura opened her eyes. She was bewildered at the sight of the three girls. Sakura looked around wincing at the pain in her head and said, "What are you guys doing here? And where's Yamato-taichou? And Naruto?"

"Take it easy," Midori advised. "Yamato went to get Naruto over there." She pointed in the direction across the empty space where the bridge used to be.

"Naruto…" Sakura murmured. She started to get up, but Midori said, "We can't go anywhere."

"Don't tell me you're gonna listen to that guy," Nami said, crossing her arms. "I never agreed to his lame excuse for a plan. The way things are going, we're not going to be doing anything anytime soon. He obviously told Yamato to take away that wooden link so we couldn't get across anyway. He doesn't want us to come and we'll never get a signal."

"I'm with Nami on this one," Kyoko said. "We know more about what's going down than Norio."

"I was given no orders," Sakura stated. "I'm going after them!"

"And how do you propose to do that?" Midori said matter-of-factly. "There's a huge gap in the bridge, and none of you have the strength to make that jump alive."

"Maybe _we _don't," Nami said slyly, biting her thumb and starting a chain of hand signs. "But I know who does…"

"Nami—"

Midori was too slow. Smoke erupted from the ground where Nami had placed her hand, rising towards the sky at a quick pace. Sakura lifted her arm to shield her eyes from the white puffs. When she was sure the smoke had cleared, she lowered her arm. Instantly her mouth dropped open. "Oh my…"

A giant fox the size of Gamabunta (maybe bigger) sat dangerously on the busted bridge, which only busted it more. The moment the fox appeared, the bridge gave a terrible creak and broke further down, forcing the fox to plunge straight down towards the water below. It was a good thing the fox's mass was so large or else when it had hit the water, some bones would've been broken. No, the only damage done to the fox was to its pride.

"What's the meaning of this?!" a feminine voice cried angrily. "Who dares to summon me in such a humiliating way?!"

"Oi, Noriko, long time no see!" Nami called.

"You…I remember," Noriko mumbled. She had a good view of Nami, for her own head was about the only thing visible while her body was crushed uncomfortably between the two ridges. She shifted around a bit, but there was no possible position she'd be content with. "It's been a long time, indeed…Now tell me…WHY DID YOU SUMMON ME HERE?!"

Everyone had to use chakra to keep from flying away from the wind generated by that beast.

"Well, the bridge was broken and we needed some way to get to the other side—"

"_You _are telling me that you're using me as a…as a _viaduct_?!" Noriko shrieked. "_Me_?! Do you remember _who _I am, child?!"

"I think you really pissed her off," Kyoko whispered.

"I couldn't tell," Nami said. "Look, Noriko, there's no time to talk! Naruto's gonna do some big damage here soon and we have to stop him! Let's discuss this later!"

"Naruto…?" Noriko knew very well of the boy possessed by Kyuubi. Now she wanted to know more than ever what was going on, but if her insolent "master" knew what to do then she shouldn't be stopping her. "I will let you pass this once, but remember this…I am _not _a bridge!"

"Of course! Thanks!"

"But—" Midori started.

"Hey, if you wanna stay here, be my guest!" Nami called over her shoulder. She was already running across Noriko's head, "But I'm gonna find Naruto!"

"You're not the only one!" Sakura shouted, quickly gaining on the other girl.

Midori sighed and followed a little behind Kyoko. "This is bad…"

"Don't be so pessimistic," Kyoko said, hopping off Noriko and landing on the other side.

"I can't help it," Midori said when the group started running. "How are we going to stop Naruto?"

Before Kyoko could answer, all four of the girls heard crashes at the forefront, cluing them in that powerful winds were coming in their direction. Midori immediately pulled up a chakra shield just in time. All around them, trees were being sliced and felled by the remarkable shockwave. As soon as the power died down, the shield disappeared, and the girls continued.

_Naruto…_ Sakura thought worriedly. _What's happening to you? _

None of them had noticed the silver-haired medical ninja standing just a few ways away, observing them all.

---

"This is no good, we can't even get close," Norio growled. "That bastard and the kid...there'll be no interfering with their fight."

"I was warned about this…" Yamato said, narrowing his eyes.

"What could you have done?" Norio said. "You can't control an angry teenager's emotions."

Suddenly, Orochimaru's neck lashed and the man's mouth opened to reveal a snake. Then the snake's mouth opened, mirroring Orochimaru, and a blade shot out towards Naruto, sticking him dead in the chest. The blade's length was immeasurably long, which resulted in Naruto being pushed out of the battlefield, the sword still piercing him.

This, of course, meant that the four kunoichi weren't able to get far. They spotted Naruto easily in the air flying past them in the direction they had just come from.

"Damn it!" Nami cursed loudly, turning on her left foot.

"Naruto!" Sakura cried.

Nami and Sakura shot back towards the bridge without a moment's hesitation, but Midori saw that Kyoko had stopped and moved the other way.

"Kyoko!" Midori stopped.

"Keep going! I have to check something out!" Kyoko yelled.

_What…? _

In truth, it wasn't a 'something' Kyoko wanted to check out; it was a 'someone'. That someone was Sai. She figured Nami and Midori had probably forgotten about the Sasuke-like boy, but she hadn't. It wasn't necessary for all three of them to trail him, anyway.

Kyoko darted behind a tree when the barren crater came into view. She saw Sai and Orochimaru talking about something she couldn't quite hear, not that she needed to. When Kabuto jumped Sai from behind and the artistic shinobi's belongings scattered around, she started forming a plan in her mind. _I have to stop Sai from going with Orochimaru…and get that letter from—_ "Ee—!" A strong hand flew over Kyoko's mouth before she could protest any further. She realized that the hand belonged to none other than Yamato. _Even though he trailed Naruto himself, he sent a clone anyway…Yamato's serious about this._

"What are you doing here?" Yamato questioned quietly.

"Same thing you are," Kyoko said, "Spying on Sai."

Yamato stared at her for a second then turned back to the crater. He frowned. "They're gone."

"They're going back to Orochimaru's lair!" Kyoko said as she started to run.

"Tell me what you know," Yamato ordered. "You're one of the girls who left our world and came back, right? One of the girls with knowledge beyond our comprehension."

_And we tried so hard to keep it a secret just a few years ago, _Kyoko thought with a sigh. "Yeah. The only thing you need to know is that Sai's just handed off an envelope with some documents in it on Danzou's orders…documents about the ANBU in Konoha."

---

"I see," Yamato said quietly.

"What is it?" Sakura asked, turning to her captain.

"Sai's gone somewhere with Orochimaru after talking to hima bout something. I have a clone tracking him and apparently…" he looked at Nami, Midori, and Norio, "you're comrade is tracking him as well."

"So that's where she went off to..." Nami said.

"There's no way Sai would've gone with him just like that!" Naruto explained. "Sure, he's an ass, but I can't believe he'd betray us!"

"Well believe it," Nami said, crossing her arms. "It's true. It's completely plausible, isn't it? Take it from someone who knows."

"Stop acting like you know everything!" Naruto ordered angrily.

"What'd you say? I know more than you do, that's for sure!" Nami shouted.

"Bickering won't do us any good," Norio said sternly.

"You two need to keep the present in mind," Yamato added. "Instead of fighting, why don't we get a move on? And if you claim to know everything, young lady," he turned to Nami, "then maybe you could tell me if my theory is right on the way to Orochimaru's hideout."

* * *

Gotta run! Very busy today!

Thanks for reading!

-HM


	22. Sasgay

I'm thinking that I'll change my update day to Saturday...it's more convenient for me in many ways, so I hope nobody minds. (smile) I've just noticed something (yes, Midori-chan is very slow): Although I'm not getting as many reviews as before (I know you guys are busy with life, so I'm not complaining! Much...) I've suddenly gotten favorited as an author several times in the past few weeks! ISN'T THAT FUNNY? Well, I think it is. XD

Anyway, I'm moving things along, and for some reason, I like this chapter. So read and enjoy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

"Stupid Sai…" Kyoko muttered. She and the Yamato bunshin had caught up to Sai, Orochimaru, and Kabuto, who were taking a quick break at the riverbank. They were keeping a respective distance away from the three, and they seemed too weary to notice Yamato and Kyoko's presence as well. But Sai seemed to be fairly close anyway, sitting rather far away from Orochimaru and Kabuto.

Yamato noticed the girl crouch down and he had a bad feeling she was forming an unauthorized plan in her mind. "Just what are you planning?" Yamato demanded.

"I'm gonna get Sai," Kyoko said. "You'd better find a different hiding place, Yamato-san. I wanna talk to that guy alone."

Yamato looked thoughtfully at her and said, "We have no time for games."

"I know that," Kyoko said, picking a small rock off the ground and tossing it up and down in her palm. "Just give me three minutes. I know what I'm doing."

The man opened his mouth to protest, but when he saw Orochimaru and Kabuto standing to leave, he said, "I'm following them. Do what you wish, but the last thing I need is for you to get caught."

Kyoko nodded. She quickly looked back at Sai who was grabbing his bag to follow the other two. With a swift wave of her arm, she chucked the rock at the back of Sai's head.

_**That **__was her plan? _Yamato thought, gaping.

Sai instinctively slapped his hand to the back of his head and looked behind him.

"What's wrong?" Kabuto questioned. "Are you coming or not?"

"It's nothing," Sai said, "But I just remembered that I had orders from Danzou-sama to check something in this area."

"We're not going to wait for you," Orochimaru said. "Catch up to us when you're done. But remember that we'll suspect something if you're not back within two minutes."

Kabuto looked surprised, but he said nothing.

"Yes."

_Yes! _Kyoko thought, pumping her fist quietly at her triumph.

Sai cautiously walked in the direction where he estimated the rock had been thrown only to be tackled by Kyoko. Well, almost. Kyoko had lunged at the black-haired boy, but he side-stepped her anticlimactically at the last second, leaving her to face-plant herself into the earth in an undignified way.

"You are that annoying big-foot from the village," Sai said monotonously, "What are you doing here?"

Kyoko jumped up and stopped herself from trying to strangle the boy. "I'm _here _to talk to you! What do you think you're doing? Trying to pull a Sasuke?"

"Why would I want to do that?" Sai said.

"I know your mission, Sai. I know a lot more about you than you know," Kyoko continued.

"The same could be said for you," Sai nodded, "I'm sure you know already that the trick you and your teammates performed almost three years ago was all over Konoha. It still is, since your return. There's no secret."

Kyoko frowned. "Yeah. I have a question. Why did you lie to Orochimaru and Kabuto?"

"I see no reason to get them involved in this situation," Sai said, indifferent as ever. "What's the use in that? You are no threat."

Kyoko's mouth twitched.

"I have a time limit," Sai said, "So since there's nothing to talk about—"

"I'm not planning on stopping you, Sai," Kyoko interrupted, "I just wanna know what you think of Naruto and Sakura."

"I don't understand."

"I mean, do you think you'd consider them as friends?"

"I have no friends," Sai said with his flat voice. "That is the truth. You couldn't possibly not see that they were being used from the beginning. If you know as much as you claim, you don't seem to broadcast what you know."

"That's because I know that everything will work out in the end," Kyoko said sharply. "And you might've not known this, but it's all because of you."

Sai stared at her blankly for a moment then turned around to leave. Realizing she wasn't just joking when she stated she wasn't stopping him, he ran off.

_Maybe that'll give the asshole a little more incentive to think straight, _Kyoko thought, pleased.

It was only a matter of time before the second group showed up at Orochimaru's hideout and Kyoko was reunited with her friends once more.

"Why didn't you tell _me_?" Nami demanded.

"Midori knew," Kyoko pointed out.

"What did you exactly do?" Midori questioned.

"Is this your guys' way of saying hi to me?" Kyoko frowned, crossing her arms.

"Excuse me for interrupting, ladies," Norio cut in, "But we really do have to start infiltration now." He held out his hand to reveal three seeds, courtesy of Yamato. "Swallow these as a precaution. I'm sure you know how they work."

The girls nodded and did as they were told, gulping the seeds as if they were pills.

"What's the plan, Yamato?" Norio asked.

"Well," Yamato said, "I never planned having all of us infiltrate the hideout. You three have a mission, right? We can't interrupt you…"

Norio shrugged.

Yamato sighed. "Same as always…Ignoring your duties for something else more interesting, eh, senpai?"

Norio gave him an innocent smile.

"Even so, there are too many people here to complete a successful penetration. My team will head in and bring Sai back. Then after we get some information out of him, we'll plan our next move."

"You got it, boss."

As soon as Naruto's group left, Midori said, "_Shouldn't _he get back to the mission? I mean…how long has it been…?"

"Missions are unpredictable," Norio said, "I'm sure the people of Mitsu won't mind if we're a little delayed."

"But they really don't need—" Midori started before two hands slapped over her mouth.

"Don't be lazy, Midori!" Nami laughed. "She doesn't like huge missions," she told Norio, who raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah, we can help complete _this _mission and still finish the other!" Kyoko added.

Midori, uncomfortable, removed Nami and Kyoko's hands from her mouth. "Excuse us, taichou."

Norio just shrugged and turned around.

Midori turned her back to Norio and hissed quietly, "Why'd you guys do that?"

"This is way more interesting than the old mission!" Nami whispered. "And Norio agrees too!"

"If we were with Marieke-sensei, she'd probably make us finish the first mission," Kyoko said. "But this one is more important!"

"Way to set your priorities straight," Midori said bitterly.

"Look, right now, this is our chance to _change _something!" Nami explained. "Don't you see? Right now, _we _have the chance to bring Sasuke back! He's so close, I can just hear his smartass voice bragging about how great he is!"

"…When did you start calling him 'Sasuke'?" Kyoko questioned.

"It's no fun calling him 'gay' when he's not around…" Nami admitted. "But uh, that's not the point!"

"Nami, haven't you ever thought that…maybe…" Midori trailed off hesitantly.

"Maybe what?"

"Maybe that…it'd be _better _if Sasuke didn't come back…?" Midori regretted saying that as soon as she saw the looks on Nami and Kyoko's faces.

"What's _that _supposed to mean? Naruto and Sakura are devoting their _lives _to save him!"

"Well, yeah, I know, but—"

"I don't wanna hear it!" Nami's voice had risen considerably, which made Norio turn his head in curiosity. "I don't know how you came to that conclusion, but you're wrong! I swear, if Naruto was here, he'd go Kyuubi in two seconds flat!"

"Nami—"

"Lalala!" Nami sang, promptly inserting her index fingers into her ears.

"Oh please…" Midori muttered under her breath. She knew there was no use reasoning with her now. The conversation was killed.

"May I ask what this is all about?" Norio asked pleasantly.

"No," Kyoko answered, since neither of her teammates were obviously not going to.

"Fair enough, I suppose," Norio sighed.

A little while later, Naruto, Sakura, and Yamato had returned with Sai bound with wood that was wrapped solidly around him. The boy was as emotionless as ever, but after Naruto had voiced his goal for Sasuke, Sai's face seemed to change a bit. Listening to Naruto does that to a person.

"This time, we're all going to start search as soon as my clone's ready," Yamato said, making a hand seal.

That was when a hail of kunai started to fall. Everyone instinctively moved out of the way before they could get pierced, leaving Sai sitting up against the rocky wall with a slight look of surprise on his face. Kabuto descended, landing right in front of Sai.

"Sai…Judging from your situation, it seems you were captured," Kabuto said. "Since it doesn't look like you've betrayed us, I'll trust you, for now." The silver-haired medic chopped the wooden restraints like an axe, breaking them cleanly with his chakra.

"This guy just doesn't give up!" Sakura remarked, narrowing her eyes.

"If you two are gonna get in my way, I'm not holding back!" Naruto declared.

Kyoko watched Sai's expression, looking for something…anything that would show the boy's emotion. Even after Naruto's kage bunshin attempted to destroy Kabuto with a swirling Rasengan, and when Kabuto started speaking of Sasuke, Sai just stood there, which annoyed her to no end.

"Sai!" Kyoko barked. "Who's side are you on?!"

Kabuto glanced at Kyoko, then Sai. He smirked and said, "No use trying, Kyoko-kun. Haven't you been listening to a word I've—" His eyes widened when he suddenly found himself immobile and being held by someone from behind. And of course, he knew there was only one person behind him. "What the—What are you doing?!"

"You say people change…" Sai said, "And here I am."

"What?"

"Way to go, Sai!" Kyoko cheered.

After that, it was easy to restrain Kabuto with Yamato's ninjutsu. Everyone seemed to like Sai a little more, after that, even Nami. Though, she _did _give herself a mental note to force the Sasuke look-alike to apologize to her when she got the chance.

Interrogating Kabuto proved to go by as smoothly as it would ever have been, and once Yamato had made the wooden clone, the two complete teams of four entered Orochimaru's lair.

"We'll be able to cover a lot of ground with your team here, Norio," Yamato said, "But we'll still be moving around in groups of two. Separate your team any way you like." He faced his team to give them his instructions while Norio did the same with his own.

"Now, how would you three like to be separated…?" Norio said thoughtfully. "I'm sure you know each other better than I do, huh? I'll give you the freedom to choose."

"You're that confident, huh?" Nami snorted.

The girls looked at each other and nodded, mutually deciding.

"Janken," the three said in unison.

Norio almost lost his balance. _Am I…a punishment?_

"Paper beats rock!" Midori and Kyoko cheered jubilantly.

"I demand a do-over!" Nami argued.

"No time," Norio said, making eye contact with Yamato. "It's time to find Sasuke."

No one left faster than Naruto with Sai trailing behind him. Everyone could see Naruto was eager to get to the Uchiha, but so was Nami. She was going to prove Midori wrong. Being in the group with Norio wasn't going to phase her determination. Sasuke would be brought back to Konoha, and it would be for the better, no matter what.

"If you don't mind me asking, what's your connection to Sasuke?" Norio questioned.

"Actually, I _do _mind," Nami said coldly.

Norio grimaced. Everything he did disgusted her for whatever reasons. He had no idea what he could've possibly done to make that girl hate him so much. But then it hit him. Her competitive nature…her pride… It was obvious to him now.

"You lost," Norio said with a small chuckle, mostly to himself.

"Huh?" Nami shut a door and turned around with a confused expression.

"You can't stand the fact that you lost to me back in Konoha, am I right?" Norio said. "Even with you double-teaming me with Shimizu, you weren't even able to put a scratch on me."

Nami didn't turn around quick enough to hide the redness in her cheeks. "Can't you be serious in a situation like this?!" she snapped, slamming a door and moving onto another.

Norio chuckled, but continued looking in rooms. _What a hot-headed student you've got, Marieke._

"Cocky bastard…" Nami murmured.

Several minutes passed, and Midori was sure she and Kyoko had checked at least thirty rooms already.

"What I wouldn't give to have Neji here right now…" Midori muttered, catching her breath.

"We're almost done with this floor!" Kyoko said, opening another door. "Geez…how many empty rooms does a guy _need_?"

"To confuse intruders like us?"

"I figured."

"Do you think Nami and Norio-taichou are okay?" Midori asked, closing the door to the empty room she had been looking in. "I mean…Maybe one of us should've gone with him instead."

"We can't do anything about it now," Kyoko said reasonably. "What's done is done, so she'll just have to deal with him. Besides, she can't avoid all the people she hates. I say its good bonding time. It's not like we'll ever be assigned him as a captain ever again anyway."

Midori decided against asking Kyoko if she enjoyed watching Nami suffer. Instead, she said, "All right, let's just move onto the next floor."

Nami and Norio had chosen to check the rooms on the next floor on separate sides; Nami took the rooms on the left and Norio took the ones on the right. With the man's speed, he coincidentally ended up a bit farther off than she was, and that made her irritable. She started to pick up her own speed to catch up with the captain, barely glancing into each of the rooms. That's why she had to go back and recheck a certain room to make sure her eyes hadn't played any tricks on her.

"…Sasgay?"

* * *

Ooooh the DRAMA! I can't wait to write the next chapter.

BTW, I'm also planning on updating NNJ 2 AFTER updating AizoAnime, so those of you who keep an eye on the site, you'll know there'll be a new sneak peek at the least on AizoAnime. We're all working on a stuff (getting ready for a truckload of tests and such) but we're still doing all we can to keep our progressing site alive. There's a new poll on the main page, so please vote in it! It's very important. Thanks!

-HM


	23. Nami's Resolve

I definitely feel refreshed, updating today! No rush for me this time, although I wrote most of the chapter today. (Right now I'm out of town at my cousin's house using my cheap-o laptop). Also, I get a whole week off of school starting now! Is that not GREAT?

Anyway, thanks for the reviews, and here's the chapter, everyone!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

"Sasgay! It _is _you!" Nami could barely contain herself. _She _had found him! "Hey! Look at me when I'm talking to you!"

Sasuke stayed in his lying position with his back to her. "Only one person in the world calls me that," Sasuke said in monotone. Then he paused. "They say you and the other two disappeared years ago. I was expecting those fools Naruto or Sakura…but not you."

"Don't start talking smack about your teammates!" Nami ordered. "You know why I'm here, don't you?"

"No."

"I'm here to bring you back to Konoha, whether you like it or not!"

"Like I've never heard that before."

Nami clenched her teeth.

"You got here before me," came another voice.

"Sai?" Nami said, surprised.

"What do you want?" Sasuke said. His voice displayed his increasing annoyance.

"I want to bring you back to Konoha," Sai said. "I was originally here to kill you but…I want to try to protect the 'bond' that he is trying so hard to mend."

"Again with the 'bringing me back to Konoha'…" Sasuke said, finally sitting up with his back still to the two shinobi. "Don't you people ever think of what _I'm _striving for? And what _I _want to do? You're just all throwing your lives away, trying to control my own life. Don't tell me you know what's good for me. I don't care. And I've had enough of it."

When Midori and Kyoko heard the explosion, they knew someone had located the Uchiha traitor. They immediately headed towards the sound, ready for battle. The two girls met up with Naruto, Sakura, and Yamato on the way there.

"Where are Nami and Norio?" Kyoko called.

"My guess is the same place as Sai," Yamato answered.

"When I get my hands on Sai…!" Sakura growled.

"Sakura, Sai—" Midori started.

"There he is!" Sakura shouted, speeding up before Midori could say anything and jumping at Sai, grabbing his neck. She didn't even take notice of Nami and Norio standing beside him; she only had demanding eyes for Sai. "YOU! What the HELL are you after?!"

"Ah…it's Sakura."

Sakura removed her hand slowly and whispered, "Sasuke…kun…"

Naruto was, of course, shocked to see Sakura stop in such a frozen position. That could only mean one thing…

He started to run faster too, but tripped in the process.

"Naruto!" Kyoko and Midori called, but the boy paid them no mind. He picked himself up and continued, sweating like a dog until he reached the demolished space.

"Sasuke…"

"Naruto too? I suppose that means Kakashi's here as well."

"Unfortunately, Kakashi-san couldn't be here. But I'm here in his place, and as Team Kakashi, we are taking you back to Konoha."

"Don't forget that we're here as well," Norio said, narrowing his eyes up at Sasuke. "Why don't you come quietly? I don't suppose you think you're good enough to take us _all _out, do you, Sasuke?"

"I've fought much more than eight before," Sasuke said simply.

It was then Sai raised a weapon, catching Sakura's attention.

"I knew it!" Sakura exclaimed.

"So this guy was my replacement?" Sasuke said, "He was speaking nonsense about protecting the bonds between Naruto and me…Just another pansy for the group. Quite fitting."

"It's true that my real top-secret mission was to assassinate Sasuke, but those orders don't matter anymore…" Sai explained. As he spoke of bonds, the shock on Naruto and Sakura's faces softened. It was a surprising speech Sai gave, being the kind of guy they'd known him as before. Team Marieke, however, just listened intently. That is, all but Nami, who couldn't stop staring at Sasuke, trying to think of what she could do to bring him back.

"Sure I did…" Sasuke said, after Sai had finished, "That's why I _severed _them. I have other bonds that I carry…Fraternal bonds forged through _hate_. All the other bonds caused me to lose focus, and weakened my strongest desire."

"Shut up!" Nami shouted, "You're full of crap, Sasgay! Why can't you see how wrong you are?!"

"I don't expect someone, who has never had anything remotely bad happen to them, to understand," Sasuke snapped. "_You _are the one who knows nothing, because _you _have no real goal. You're just playing around, you and your little friends, intruding the world we live in, and leaving your own."

Nami scowled. There wasn't much she could say to that.

"So then why didn't you kill me back then?!" Naruto demanded, "Is that how you sever bonds, Sasuke?!"

"The reason is simple…And it wasn't because I couldn't sever my bond with you…I simply didn't want to give him the pleasure of seeing me attain power by submitting to his plans."

"What do you mean by that?"

"There's no need for you to understand. But there's one thing I can tell you is that back then…I _chose _to spare your life at nothing more than a whim of mine."

Nami blinked, and suddenly, she felt the presence of Sasuke get closer. Turning to Naruto, she saw the Uchiha, hand on the Kyuubi container's shoulder, uncomfortably close.

"…Come to think of it, isn't your dream to become Hokage?" Sasuke said nonchalantly. "If you had the time to chase me around, you would've been better off using that time to train. Don't you think so, Naruto? So that's why…You're going to end up losing your life, all at a whim of mine." As soon as he said this, his katana was completely out.

"Like there's any chance someone, who can't even save a friend, could become Hokage. Don't you think…Sasuke?"

Suddenly, Sai appeared, grabbing onto Sasuke's arm and stopping him from using his blade. That gave Naruto time to flip backwards, out of his defenseless position.

Norio had long since finished his chain of seals when Sasuke was distracted. The ground behind Sasuke crumbled as Norio's hands jumped out of the ground to grab Sasuke's ankles.

"All right!" Yamato called, forming a seal. He held his hand out which had wood extending from it by the millisecond.

"Midori…" Kyoko muttered.

"Yeah," answered Midori, who was already starting making hand signs.

Sasuke's body started to surge with energy, and Naruto, Sai, and Norio could feel it.

"Chidori Nagashi (Chidori Discharge)/Takabe (Multi-Barrier)!"

Electricity shot out from Sasuke's body, stinging the bright chakra shields that were strategically placed in front of Naruto and Sai. Norio had escaped the wrathful attack by ducking underground, but Naruto and Sai were still caught with a few burns that managed to make it past.

"Sasuke-kun, I'm going to stop you with my own power!" Sakura shouted, approaching the Uchiha with a poised fist.

Sasuke drew his sword, intent on slashing Sakura in half. However, Yamato barred his way with a useless kunai, which had broken on impact. Yamato took the full stab just beneath his shoulder in the process.

"Yamato-taichou!" Sakura cried.

"You see, this sword of Kusanagi I hold here is a little special. It's the kind that can't be blocked."

"We'll see about that!" Nami shouted, summoning her own sword to her hand. With a sweeping motion, she aimed her heated blade towards the Uchiha's head.

Sasuke quickly slipped the Kusanagi blade out of Yamato, making the man cringe and fall to the ground, his body numbed. The two swords clashed, and for a moment, the world seemed to stand still. But real battles are quick-pace, and it was less than a second before one blade had shattered the other.

Nami's body went numb when Kusanagi stabbed her shoulder. Her eyes widened as the pain started to flow through her body, replacing the blood she was losing every instant. She hit the ground roughly and unmoving. _What's happened? Just one attack and…_

"Sasuke!" Naruto hollered angrily. The whiskers on his face started to darken and his eyes turned red, signifying the Kyuubi itching to unleash its power once more.

The two former teammates seemed to make eye contact, and something unseen to everyone else around them took place.

"Nami!" Midori's voice brought Sasuke back to reality, and he narrowly dodged the needles thrown by Kyoko. He leapt backwards, avoiding another flurry of needles.

Yamato managed to make a hand seal, attempting to trap the Uchiha in a dome-like cage of wood that rose from the ground. However, Sasuke was too fast. He leapt up, back onto the high perch where the teams had first seen him after two and a half years.

"Sasuke…" Naruto growled, "Why don't you get it?! Your body's gonna be stolen by Orochimaru anytime now!"

"If that happens…then it happens," was all Sasuke had to say.

Nami couldn't hear what Sasuke was saying. The wound he had given her ran from her shoulder halfway down her arm. She could hardly keep her eyes open, and the only things she could feel was the throbbing of her body and Midori's hand, gingerly holding her arm and attempting to heal the wound.

Midori saw Nami recoil for a second, and muttered, "He isn't worth…all this trouble."

"You're wrong…" Nami mumbled wearily.

Midori looked surprised when Nami slowly started to sit up. "Nami, don't…"

"Sasgay, you're coming back with us whether you like it or not!" Nami shouted angrily. "I'm gonna make sure of it!" She forced herself to stand and started running. "SASGAAAAY!"

Then…everything went black.

---

Nami woke to find herself in a different setting; white bed, a pleasant room…It only took one glance to know that she was in a hospital room. In Konoha.

_Damn…Konoha… _Nami thought, furrowing her brow. _Just how long have I been out…? _

She noticed the bandages wrapped around her arm, and remembered what had happened before. She had blacked out, but she didn't know why. But that wasn't what was on her mind at the moment. No, what was on her mind was her failure. After all she had said, Sasuke was still elsewhere, probably moving farther away from her as she lay there.

_Damn…_

---

"So you finished the mission after all," Tsunade said. "But because you were quite late, the pay we received was reduced." She sighed. "Why on earth can't you stay on the missions I give you, Norio? A grown man like you should know to leave _other_ missions to the _others _who are assigned them. I feel like I'm reprimanding a child."

"The situation called for it, Hokage-sama," Norio said, bowing gracefully. "I do apologize, but the situation called for it."

_Liar, _Midori and Kyoko thought.

"Hmph," Tsunade grumbled. "I expect you and your team to pay off what you lost by doing some work for me around Konoha. Honestly, such a simple mission with enormous pay only comes around once in a blue moon, and this was disappointing."

"Sorry," Midori and Kyoko said, lowering their heads. Their dignities were sinking lower and lower by the second, but Norio didn't seem phased at all.

"Here, a list," Tsunade said, "Of the missions you will be completing for the next few days together. The money that would've been yours will now go to the village funds."

Midori bit her lip and Kyoko gaped. That didn't sound good at all.

"No complaints," Tsunade said, "Now leave."

Once the three left, Tsunade sighed and rested her chin on her palm. "How tiresome," she groaned. _Oh well...Not much I can do now. Since the encounter with Sasuke, it's about time the girls have a little interview…We'll need all the information about that boy's actions planned in the near future..._

---

"Wh-WHAT?" Nami screamed.

"This is a hospital…" Midori said tiredly, "And you're a patient. So can you keep it down?"  
"NO, I can NOT!"

Kyoko and Midori had explained the current situation to Nami, and she was less than happy to know that she'd be spending the next few days doing grunt work around Konoha with the man she despised.

"Look, maybe it'll only take us one day," Midori shrugged, "If we work fast, it'll go by quickly and you can get back to training."

That's when it hit her. "Where's my katana?" Nami demanded.

Kyoko and Midori exchanged nervous glances.

"Um…it…broke…" Kyoko said, showing Nami the sword with the tip of the blade in one hand and the rest in the other.

Nami took her weapon and clenched her teeth. "That guy..." she murmured furiously.

"You can get it fixed," Midori said, "Tenten will definitely know where, so once you're out of the hospital…Hey!"

Nami was easing herself off of the white bed, much to Midori's dissatisfaction.

"Will you knock that off?" Midori said with irritation. "Stop trying to push yourself! You're injured, so you're staying here!"

"No! I'm completely fine!" Nami argued.

"Is that so?" Midori said doubtfully.

"Yeah!"

Kyoko poked Nami's bandaged arm lightly, making the girl flinch and fall backwards onto the bed again. "OOOOOWWW!"

"You don't seem healed to me," Kyoko said.

Nami grimaced and said, "There's just one thing I don't understand. Why did I black out like that? I hadn't lost all that much blood…"

"That's because you got knocked out," Midori explained. Then she looked at Kyoko and said, "By Kyoko."

Kyoko balked.

"WHAT?"

"F-For good reason!" Kyoko said quickly. "Sasuke would've killed you on the spot if you ran in half-cocked like that! Besides…I did some thinking and…I think its best if Sasuke stayed where he was for now…You know, _out _of Konoha."

Nami looked at her incredulously. "I thought you were on _my _side!"

"I am!" Kyoko said, "But it's just that it's too soon for Sasuke to come back! I never said he should _stay _away, but there's no rush to bring him back. I just mean…it's not the right time." Kyoko shifted uncomfortably in her spot, something she always did when she didn't want to talk anymore.

"I guess."

The room was silent.

"Wait…You guess?" Kyoko said, wondering if she heard her friend correctly.

"Yeah. It's not time," Nami said. "Because…I'm not strong enough yet. When I'm strong enough, I'll help Naruto bring Sasuke back. When the time's right, I'll know."

"Actually, I meant—" Kyoko was abruptly stopped from speaking anymore by Midori's quick hand.

"Sounds good!" Midori said hastily. "We'll visit you tomorrow, okay? By that time, I think the medics will let you out of the hospital. But for now, we have to go."

"All right," Nami said. Midori could tell she was deep in thought, and that relieved her.

"Why'd you stop me?" Kyoko questioned Midori as the two teammates started their way towards the meeting spot of the first odd-job.

"You didn't need to clarify anything as long as she's okay with leaving Sasuke be for now," Midori explained. "Besides, couldn't you tell how in-the-zone she was afterwards? It's a first step for a full recovery, I think."

"That's what you think?" Kyoko said, confused. "I thought she looked like she was gonna break out of the hospital tonight."

"Come on, Kyoko," Midori said, "I told her she'd be out by tomorrow. Sure, she probably would have done something like that when she was younger but she's older now. We _all _are."

"Now that's the type of thing I like to hear," came a feminine voice.

"Sensei!" Kyoko and Midori exclaimed, greeting Marieke with warm hugs.

"Thought I'd bring along a little help," Norio said.

"Because he's useless, even with the help of you two," Marieke added.

"Now, Marieke, let's act our age in front of the younger generation," Norio advised.

"Like you ever do, old man," said Satoshi, who had been ordered by his father to come as well.

Kyoko and Midori stared at Satoshi.

"What's _he_ doing here?" they said together, each pointing an accusing finger at the boy.

"Hey…That's not polite," Satoshi said, taking fake offense.

"Things will go along faster with more help," Norio shrugged. "He's my son, so under my orders, it's fine."

"So where's the hot-headed one?" Satoshi questioned. "Doesn't she have to do this too?"

"Well yes, but she's in the hospital right now," Midori informed. "She was injured on the mission."

"Oh."

"Enough small talk, let's get to work," Norio said, pulling out the list Tsunade had given him. "First matter of business: Dispose of all the litter on the west side of Konoha!"

* * *

I think from now on, I'll be able to gradually increase the amount of words in my chapters...Now wouldn't THAT be nice? It's kind of loud here, with the kids playing around and the TV on, so my mind's at a blank of anything I want to say right now. Kind of depressing...So I guess I'll just leave you guys with an R&R please! Until next time!

-HM


	24. New Plans

Sorrysorrysorry I didn't update last week, everyone! I thought I'd take some time off and go to a convention...(shifty eyes) And I had a major writer's block. I've been busy all week; so busy that I hadn't even been able to read the fanfiction I had on author's alert, so my inbox was crowded with about twenty story alerts. (sweatdrop) So I spent a lot of time yesterday reading. But everything's all good, now! I'm gonna work all day today and tomorrow on stuff that SHOULD be done, including homework, so not much time to chat. XD

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

It was true that Nami had stayed in her room for as long as her attention span allowed her, and she found that the day before she had spent majority of her time sleeping. However, one could do absolutely nothing for so long and when a woman in white came in to check on her, she asked when she'd be able to leave. 

"Well, your wound wasn't difficult to patch up," the woman said, "And we just wanted to have you recuperate your strength for about a day, so I think you're due to leave today whenever you feel you're fi—"

Nami zipped out of that hospital room before the woman could finish. "Thanks, lady!" she called over her shoulder, running barefoot down the halls, not even bothering to change back into her regular clothes. She just wanted to get out of that dim place as soon as possible. The excited girl rounded the corner of the hallway and ran face-first into green spandex.

"AUGH!" Nami hollered, tripping backwards.

"Pardon me!"

"…Gai…" Nami murmured, her eye twitching. "What're you doing here?"

Gai extended his hand to help the girl up and said, "I uh, always visit the hospital to cheer up all the folks who have lost their youthful luster due to their injuries!"

Nami would've probably believed him if he hadn't started laughing like a hysterical person. That just made his lie obvious.

"Really…" Nami said doubtfully.

"All right, you caught me," Gai confessed as if Nami had interrogated him to no end. "I cam here to see how Kakashi is! My rival's health is important to me, see, because we planned to have another competition that had to be postponed when he was landed into the hospital!"

"Uh…okay…" Nami said, not even trying to sound interested in the youthful man's life. Gai noticed.

"Nami, a young woman like you should be more youthful!" Gai declared, "You're just like Tenten and Neji; acting so uninterested makes you seem so _old_! People at this adolescent age should grasp their youth while they can, or they'll regret it once their older!"

Nami winced, but took a deep breath and plastered the hugest smile she could muster on her face. Giving Gai the thumbs-up, she shouted, "Will do, Gai-sensei!"

Gai grinned. "Now _that's _more like it!" With that, he ran off only to be scolded by a passing medic who yelled at him to slow down.

Nami shook her head and walked to the front desk to check out.

---

"I thought the point of becoming chuunin was to avoid grunt work like this…" Kyoko grumbled, shimmying up a tree roughly. "Here, kitty, kitty…" She held her hand out slowly towards the black and white cat, only to get painfully clawed. "OW! Freaking little…"

The cat hissed and leapt down from the tree, straight into Satoshi's arms. The boy stroked the cat.

"Who's a good kitty? _Who's _a _good _kitty?" he cooed.

"Not that devil," Kyoko said, sliding down. "It's worse than Tora."

"Come on, Kyoko," Midori laughed, "It's not _that _bad."

"You mean _she's _not that bad," Satoshi corrected as the cat purred.

"You're scaring me," Kyoko stated bluntly.

Satoshi fumbled. "I thought chicks dug the sensitive type," he said, offended. "Some girls you two are," he mumbled.

"_Excuse _me?" Midori loomed.

"_Nothing_."

That was when Kiba appeared, riding Akamaru like a horse. Akamaru stopped on a dime, panting energetically with his tongue hanging out. Kiba hopped off his companion's back and saluted with a grin, "Yo!"

The cat hissed at Akamaru, who growled.

"Take it easy, Akamaru," Kiba said, wrinkling his nose at the cat.

"What are you doing here, Kiba?" Kyoko questioned. "On a walk or something?"

"Nah. Hokage-sama wanted me to send a message to Midori," Kiba said, turning to the medic.

"Me?" she said, surprised.

"Did I stutter? Hokage-sama wants ya to show up in her office for some sort of special mission," Kiba explained. "She didn't want to share details with us yet, so come on."

"But…what about the current, uh…'mission'?" Midori asked.

"She says to leave it to Kyoko," Kiba replied.

"Okay…"

"W-Wait!" Kyoko stuttered, but Midori and Kiba had already gone. "Man…" She suddenly noticed Satoshi attempting to sneak away. "HEY!" She grabbed him by the collar and said, "And where do you think _you're _going?"

"He said Hokage-sama wanted to 'leave it to Kyoko', right?" Satoshi said, flashing her a nervous smile. "Can't go against her orders, you know. I've got some stuff to get to today, so it looks like you're on your own!"

"Nice try, lazyass," Kyoko snapped. "But _we're _on our own, today."

"_Oh_…_I _see," Satoshi said slyly.

"What?"

"You don't want me to leave, do you?"

Kyoko harrumphed and dropped his collar, catching him off guard and causing him to fall face-first into the dirt. "Only because I don't want to do all this junk by myself!"

Satoshi sat up and spat the earth from his mouth. "Whatever you say." He looked at his hands then around. "Hey…where'd the cat go?"

Kyoko slapped her forehead. "Why does my luck suck so much?"

---

"So, can you fix it?" Nami questioned, peering down at her broken blade.

"Sorry to say this, but I don't usually fix my own katana…" Tenten admitted.

Nami's expression fell. "So…you _can't _fix it?"

"Well, _I _can't," Tenten said, "But I know of this one hermit who does some good work."

"Really? Who?"

"His name is Yousai," Tenten explained. "He moves around a lot, but his favorite spot is a small cave on the outskirts of Konoha. For something split completely like this, I recommend him, but…He's not the friendliest old man."

"I gotcha," Nami said confidently, "I'm not worried! Old people _love _me!"

Tenten looked at her skeptically, but said, "Sure. You'd better hurry. He always goes out at night."

"Thanks," Nami said. She made a quick hand seal, making the two halves disappear.

---

Midori knocked on the door. She was curious as to what the so-called "special mission" was and why she was the only one to have been summoned. When she opened the door, however, she found that she _hadn't _been the only one. Already in the room was Neji, and following her from behind was Kiba. Akamaru, being too large to fit through the door, had to suffice with peeking out the window on the rooftop.

"Now that we're all here, I'll give you your mission," Tsunade said naturally. She pulled out a small stack of papers which she passed on to Neji. "You'll lead this mission, Neji, as the captain. It's a B-Rank, so I doubt it'll be too difficult with your skills. The mission is to locate a stolen item and transport it back to its rightful owner. The details are in the packet I just gave you, so hustle!"

"Wait, Tsunade-sama," Midori interrupted, trying to get a word in. "What's with this sudden mission? I just got back the other day and—"

"Midori, I'm very busy," Tsunade said, "If I can't depend on you to be ready at any moment, then perhaps you should just go home."

"…Right. Sorry," Midori bowed fretfully.

"Now head out," Tsunade ordered.

"Roger," the three responded before they filed out the door.

Once the team had left, Tsunade rested her chin atop her clasped hands and sighed. She heard a quiet knock on her door then saw Shizune poke her head through the gap. "Tsunade-sama? What next?"

"Send for Kyoko in three hours, Shizune."

"Three?" Shizune repeated.

"That's right. Until then, leave me be. I've got work to do."

"All right…"

As soon as Tsunade was sure the other woman's footsteps were fading away, she made herself comfortable and instantly drifted off to sleep. Well, almost.

"Tsunade-sama!"

Tsunade snorted and shot up, banging the back of her head against her chair. "Damn it! What did I _just say_, Shizune?!"

"That you had work to do," Shizune said sternly. "So get to it, already! To think you've been Hokage for three years now and you still have the bad habit of sleeping on the job…"

"Yeah, yeah…"

---

"I hate the Dewey Decimal System," Kyoko muttered bitterly as she placed a book in its rightful place. She started walking forward, but had to walk back when she realized Satoshi, who had the job of pushing around the cart of countless books, was not following her. No, he was too busy leaning against the cart, sleeping. Fortunately, a swift slap upside the head was enough to wake him up.

"_Ow_," Satoshi hissed quietly.

"At least _you _aren't the one who's organizing these," Kyoko retorted, knocking her fist on one of the book covers. Then she noticed something. Looking over Satoshi's shoulder, she noticed a familiar figure hunched over at one of the tables with books stacked around him. "Sai?"

"Huh?" Satoshi said as Kyoko walked past him.

"Hey, Sai," Kyoko said, gaining Sai's attention.

"…Kyoko-san," Sai said with a smile, remembering the girl's name.

"It's good to see that you smile with meaning, now," Kyoko remarked. "What're you reading about relationships for? The real way to learn is to experience it."

"Since when are you an expert on stuff like this?" Satoshi questioned, coming over. He glanced at Sai and said, "Hi."

"Hello."

"C'mon, we gotta finish," Satoshi said to Kyoko. "I can think up a list of better things I have to do than these missions. You're lucky my dad enjoys working my ass off."

Kyoko was dying to hang around Sai more, but she knew she had to finish the assignments, even if _both _her teammates had ditched. At least Marieke and Norio had taken half the jobs… "What's with you all of a sudden? It wouldn't have mattered if I talked to him a little bit."

"Pretty boys like him are bad news," Satoshi replied simply. "That dude looks exactly like that guy Sakura's been training for. You know, the one you guys and my dad saw on your mission."

"How do you know Sasuke?"

Satoshi shrugged. "My dad has some general info lying around. I might've glanced at them once or twice."

Kyoko raised an eyebrow. "I see. But you don't know anything about Sai. Even if he looks like Sasuke, it doesn't mean he'll make trouble."

"Tch, whatever."

Kyoko was silent for a moment then a smile spread across her face. "Satoshi, are you _jealous _of Sai?"

"What're you talkin' about, woman?" Satoshi said dangerously.

"Never mind."

---

"I'll only be gone for a while…" Nami said to herself as she stole through the trees. "No need to inform anyone…" Truthfully, she didn't want to deal with the pile of D-Ranked missions with her teammates, so she traveled outside the village without permission from the Hokage. It wasn't hard, considering Izumo and Kotetsu had been half-asleep on the job. Nami had told them she was going outside the village for a bit of training, and luckily, they didn't seem to be notified of her team's punishment.

Tenten hadn't exactly given her a solid location on where this sword smith hermit lived, so she'd just have to track him down. Of course, that was easier said than done. There was plenty of greenery to hide a crabby old man who didn't want to be found. Konoha _is _the "Village Hidden in the Leaves", after all.

---

"No, no, NO."

"Come on, Kyoko, it's a mission," Satoshi urged.

"NO. I will NOT do it."

"Young lady, I'm paying good money for this advertisement."

"Well you can have your money back, cuz I'm not doing it," Kyoko said stubbornly, crossing her arms.

"What if I—"

"It doesn't matter WHAT you do because I am NOT standing out there in THIS—" she gestured towards a scanty two-piece bathing suit that consisted of mainly strings, "—and DANCING. NO. I've been digging through dumpsters, sorting recyclable material, chased two cats and a dog, babysat seven children, organized half the library's books, and much, _much _more. THIS is where I draw the line! NO MORE."

The man who had hired kunoichi frowned.

"Sorry, Inu-san," Satoshi shrugged. "Looks like she's not gonna budge. You'll have to keep your money."

Without another word, the two walked away.

"Damn…" Inu cursed. "That bastard Neko said this worked for _him_…" he grumbled.

"It's weird…" Kyoko said after a while of walking to the next job, "Knowing yo, I thought you would've tried to convince me longer."

"Nah," Satoshi said nonchalantly, "Nobody'd wanna see you in a swimsuit anyway." He ducked, barely missing Kyoko's fist by a centimeter. "Ha!"

"Shut up!" Kyoko ordered, vein pulsing off the side of her forehead. _He's like a second Nami, _Kyoko wrinkled her nose at the thought. "Are you bipolar or something?"

"I was gonna say the same thing," Satoshi shrugged. He ducked again and chuckled. "And no, I'm not. I just like messing with cute girls."

Now _that _got Kyoko confused. "Wha…?"

"Speed it up, woman," Satoshi said, "I'd rather not spend the rest of my time doing genin work."

Kyoko shook her head, but followed after the strange boy. What other choice did she have?

Just then a shinobi, most likely chuunin rank, appeared before Kyoko. "Kyoko-san! You're requested in Hokage-sama's office!"

"Okay!" Kyoko responded immediately. _Thankyouthankyouthankyou! _

"But what about the rest of this stuff?" Satoshi questioned, pointing to the list that trailed on the ground.

"You and your dad can finish them, Satoshi! You know, male bonding!" Kyoko said, waving him off.

"Hey—!"

No matter how much Satoshi _would've _protested, it wouldn't have mattered, for Kyoko had already run off, leaving him in the dust.

"Goddamnit."

---

_It's such a random mission, _Midori thought as she followed a bit behind Kiba and Neji. The three were walking down a dirt path silently. Kiba walked alongside Akamaru with one arm over the dog's back and Neji was reading the map, which gave Midori the chance to think. _Sure, Kiba-kun and Neji are perfect for this mission, but my dojutsu isn't nearly as useful as Neji's. It would've been better to put Hinata on the mission or something…So why'd Tsunade add me to the team, even after she gave us that odd-job assignment? It doesn't make sense…_

Midori suddenly got a face-full of white clothing when she accidentally ran into Neji's back. Jumping backwards, she gasped, "Sorry, Neji!"

"Pay attention, Midori," Neji said, looking off into the distance. "Byakugan." Veins throbbed around his white eyes, and he peered around.

Kiba and Akamaru sniffed the air.

"What is it? Enemies?" Midori questioned.

Suddenly, a bright beam shot out from the right towards the group who instinctively leapt out of range. Kiba jumped back and answered Midori's question with, "Looks like it!"

Midori skidded to a stop, one hand on the ground to sturdy herself. _That looked like…But it couldn't be…!_

Several more beams shot out from different sides. For a normal person, it would've been difficult to detect where the perpetrators were coming from, but not for Neji.

"Two of them," Neji reported, moving his head inconspicuously in the direction of the strangers.

"Akamaru, there!" Kiba shouted, pointing two fingers, "At two o'clock!"

Akamaru bounded into the air and let loose a stream of yellow liquid spray into the bushes, raising a few disgusted screams.

"Gatsuuga!" Kiba started spinning wildly until he was a blur, straight into the area Akamaru had just marked. Right before he could destroy the two hidden shinobi, they hardly escaped the Inuzuka's attack. However, they were immediately bombarded with Neji's Hakke Kuushou, forcing them to crash into the trees behind and evidently splitting them.

Before the two could rise up, Midori, who was already approaching at a quick pace, placed her hands together and said, "Hikari Kinko (Light Imprisonment)!" She stuck her chakra-dripping hands out before her and a transparent dome much similar to the chakra barriers she creates was formed. The two opponents were caught.

"State your business," Neji ordered.

The two just stared blankly at Neji then moved on to Midori, eyes wide. Each wore white shirts with billowing sleeves, black pants, and white masks. They had no forehead protectors, just white sweatbands around their foreheads.

"We'd like an answer TODAY," Kiba said impatiently. He was followed up with a bark from Akamaru.

"Could it be?" said one of the men, who had shoulder-length black hair and green eyes. "Is that you, Midori-chan?"

* * *

Heheh...Hope ya don't mind the small reference, BAX. XD Had to do it. (To those of you who don't know, it has something to do with a little event in Blades of Grass.)

So the three are going on their separate little adventures while I move the story along. Knowing how bad my memory is, I hope I don't screw anything up.

PLOT?! WHERE?!

To AizoAnime watchers: There should be some updates coming either today or tomorrow. Like I said...very busy. (grin)

Thanks for reading! See ya next time!

-HM


	25. Kousen Brothers

Hey, all! I'm running on a tight schedule at the moment, so not much to say now except putting a section for Beta Readers was a good move for FF! It's such a great idea, so I'm also going to offer my services! (Even though...I'm probably not the best for the job...heheh). Enjoy the chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

"Do I…know you?" Midori said uncertainly, inspecting the man behind the barrier. 

The two men looked at each other, then back at Midori. The one who had spoken said to the other, "I don't look that different, do I?"

"We _were _quite young, so perhaps we do!"

"No, but Midori-chan would remember unless…"

"She's lost her memory!" the two said in unison.

"What on Earth are they rambling about?" Neji said aloud.

"Beats me," Kiba said.

"Midori-chan!" the two shouted, "Do you not remember us?"

"Uh…not really." She was still contemplating over how two strange men could possibly know her when she just recently came back into the "Naruto" world.

"So it's true! She lost her memory, brother!" said the one with short black hair and green eyes.

"Intolerable!" the other declared. He stared intensely at Midori, making her flinch. "Don't you worry, Midori! We will restore your memory!"

Midori opened her mouth as if she were going to say something, but could only muster an "Uh…"

Meanwhile, Neji was trying to devise some sort of plan. These people weren't ordinary bandits or shinobi sent to halt their mission, he was sure. Even _if _their orders were to stop his group, they knew Midori, which was nearly unfathomable. Plus…They uncomfortably reminded him of the boisterous beasts of Konoha.

"What's the plan, captain?" Kiba said impatiently.

"Take down the barrier, Midori," Neji said. They were obviously not going to attack now. "You two," Neji turned to the brothers, "I believe my earlier question was never answered."

"Hidari and Migite at your service, taichou! We are the Kousen Brothers!" the two saluted Neji. Yes…they were very much like Lee and Gai.

Neji refrained the urge to grimace and kept a straight face. "And what's your business here?"

"We were sent by Master to annihilate you as to stop your mission to steal his precious item!" they answered.

_How can they confess to something like that so easily? _Midori thought, raising an eyebrow.

"…All right…" Neji said after he was sure they weren't going to suddenly spring into action and attempt to kill them like they were ordered to do. "And what's your relation to Midori?"

"We," Hidari said, "Are apart of the Hikari Clan!"

"Whoa, whoa," Midori said suddenly, "You just said you were the Kousen Brothers!"

"Of course! We aren't about to showcase our clan name! That would be suicidal!"

Midori internally slapped her forehead. Duh.

"You realize when the massacre had happened, you weren't the sole survivor, Midori-chan! Luckily, some of us were able to get away, but it's nothing compared to the numbers we used to have," Migite said. "Ever since we were taken in by Master, Hidari and I have been searching for other survivors to recreate the clan, including you. We know our country will never be reconstructed, but the least we could do is find others who shared the same fate as us! You've been searching too, I'm sure!"

"Well…" Midori said uncomfortably.

"Wait, so you guys are telling me you're Midori's brothers?" Kiba interrupted, saving Midori from making a fool of herself. Again.

"Not brothers," Hidari said. "Hikari Clan members have many branches of families!"

"If we were to go by our family trees…" Migite said with a thoughtful look on his face, "Her father—may he rest in peace—was our aunt's brother's brother."

"You can call us your cousins, Midori-chan!" Hidari said.

"Cousins…" Midori repeated.

"There you go!" the brothers said in unison.

"These guys really aren't a threat," Kiba whispered to Neji. "I'd even bet those guys would show us where their master keeps that 'precious item' if Midori told them to."

Neji didn't doubt that, but then again, he knew nothing of their master and his influence on the brothers. "Just to be safe, we should learn a bit more about these two," he murmured.

---

"How hard can it be to find a crusty old man?!" Nami roared, punching the trunk of tree short-temperedly. Her patience was wearing thin, and she was losing light quickly. She swore, if that Yousai person left his little cave by the time she found it…

Nami groaned, falling over backwards onto the grass with a 'thud!' She stared up into the thick, overhanging branches and leaves. She'd already gone through a few caves, but there was no sign of anyone living in any of them.

"YOUSAI, WHERE ARE YOU?" Her scream upset the birds that scattered at the echoing sound.

Suddenly, she heard a rustling in the bushes. Sitting up speedily, she crawled over on hands and knees towards the bush. "Yousai?"

"REOW!"

"ACK!" Nami fell backwards to avoid her face getting clawed off. The cat ran off without a glance at Nami and soon disappeared.

"Damn cat…" Nami growled. "Wait…" What was a cat doing in the woods anyway? Even Tora wouldn't have run away _this _far out into the forest, and there weren't any wild cats running around in these woods as far as she knew…

"Hey! Wait up!" Nami called as if the cat could hear her as she ran off.

---

"So…um…" Midori said uncertainly. Neji and Kiba had made sure that it was _her _job to 'interrogate' her 'cousins'. After all, when Neji and Kiba tried to get anything out of them, they wouldn't give any vital information. It didn't seem right to use force on them, and Midori wouldn't have allowed it anyway, but they still had a mission. So, their Plan B went something like this…:

"_**We're running low on water, so Kiba and I will locate a source," Neji said. "Midori, why don't you catch up with these two while we get water?"**_

"_**Aw, don't worry! We have plenty of water!" Hidari laughed.**_

"_**And why does it take both of you to find water?" Migite asked.**_

"_**Well, uh, you see…" Kiba said, "Midori's real picky about germs and stuff! She won't share water with anyone, so she needs her own!"**_

"_**You are?!" Hidari and Migite gasped.**_

"…_**Yeah…" Midori responded.**_**Kiba, you jerk…**

Little did the three know, Kiba, Neji, and Akamaru were concealing themselves at a distance, spying—I mean, observing the small picnic-like lunch they were having. It was easy…After all, when combined the two boys had the eyes of a hawk and the ears of a hound.

"Midori-chan," Migite said, "We're sorry, but there's no way we can allow you or the guys steal Master's precious item."

"But how can you work for someone who steals?" Midori questioned. The notion boggled her mind; Hidari and Migite seemed like such nice guys.

"He didn't steal!" Hidari exclaimed. "That rat stole from _him_!"

"What?"

"The man we 'stole' from was a very rich man," Migite explained. "He seemed to think he could buy anything he wanted without thought of what the consequences were, the way he throws money around so easily. Some time ago, there was a robbery at Master's home. He never saw the face of the robber, and Hidari and I were away on an errand for Master at the moment. Master's a frail man and a non-shinobi, which is why we usually assist and protect him. He's not the richest man, but he _does _own fine antique items that are considered valuable."

"The item that was stolen from him was a family medallion," Hidari said, "It was passed among his ancestors for generations, and because he never had children, he still had it. When we came home, Master was in anguish. He thought he'd never see it again, but one day while we were passing by in the marketplace, he said he saw a glimpse of the medallion being passed off to another man. It was only a glimpse, and we thought he was mistaken, but his eyes hadn't deceived him."

"We tried to convince the man that that medallion was Master's, but he didn't listen. He had paid quite an amount for it, and he was not willing to give it back. We also questioned the elderly owner of the store, but he said his wares were sold to him through a string of people, and it would've been impossible to track the thief," Migite continued.

"But to steal it back?" Midori asked, "The man hadn't stolen it in the first place, so of course it would look like you were the enemies…"

"Well…The man always sells whatever he buys about a month later in auctions…" Migite said, "And he hardly keeps track of everything he's ever bought…We didn't think he'd miss it. He probably _wouldn't _have if Hidari didn't get us caught in the act."

"I said I was sorry," Hidari said, turning red.

"Well, what's done is done. Everyone knew Hidari and I worked for Master," Migite said. "So we eventually fled out of town. Master loved the medallion too much to give it up again."

"I see…" Midori murmured. "How terrible…"

"Sounds fishy to me," Kiba said to Akamaru.

"Ruff, ruff!"

"Yeah, but still…"

Neji looked at Kiba, cluing him in that he had no idea what Akamaru had just said.

"Akamaru says they'd have no motive behind lying to Midori," Kiba shrugged. "It's hard to believe they're cousins or whatever, though…I mean, how could they be when she comes from…uh…wherever she comes from?"

"According from what I know, I suppose since she and her friends had inserted themselves here with fabricated backgrounds, those pasts had come true," Neji deduced.

"And yet she couldn't remember them?" Kiba said, raising an eyebrow.

Neji shrugged. "It didn't seem to me that neither of the other two girls lived much in the 'past' they had created either…But what to do about this situation…?" He stood up from his crouching position, dusted off his legs and said, "I think it's about time we came back to them. Be sure to fill the thermos."

"Ah, you're back! Did you find any water?" Hidari asked.

"Yup, here ya go, Midori," Kiba said, tossing her the full thermos.

"…Thanks…" By their timing, Midori concluded that they heard everything Hidari and Migite had to say, but she had no idea what they were going to do about it. _Surely we can't just take the medallion from this 'Master' if it's rightfully his, but…that man paid for it…_

"We should get going now," Migite said.

"Why don't you come to meet Master?" Hidari asked Midori. "He'd love to see you, and we only had a little time to talk!"

After a quick glance at Neji and Kiba, she smiled, "Sure, we'll come."

"Only if you promise to hear Master out," Migite said seriously. "We're telling the truth." When he said this, he looked at Kiba and Neji as if he _knew _they didn't trust him.

"We promise," Neji said. _I also want to meet that rich man they spoke of…_

The group traveled a few miles before they reached a quaint cottage-like home. Hidari and Migite explained that this was where Master had stayed whenever he wanted to get away from the town for a vacation. It was secretly hidden within the myriad of trees in the forest, and no one would suspect a man of his stature to live there. It was true. Neji even had to duck to get through the low doorway.

"Master, we're back!" Hidari called. "And we've brought company!"

Immediately, a small, wrinkled man scurried over. "C-Company? Boys, do you realize that anyone out here can be looking for us? You can't just invite anyone you see on the road like before!" One glimpse from the Konoha hitai-ate and his heart nearly stopped. "Oh my, oh my, oh my…"

"It's all right, sir," Neji said calmly. "We just want to ask a few questions. We are not going to turn you in."

Master still looked slightly terrified, but it might've just been because Akamaru had stuck his huge head through the doorway and was panting over the welcome mat.

"A-All right, but please, keep the…um…dog out, I'm terribly allergic," Master said.

"It's all right," Neji said, "Kiba was going to run an errand in town anyway, right, Kiba?"

Kiba looked at him for a split second and said, "Right. Come on, Akamaru!"

"Ruff, ruff!"

"Master, we'd like you to meet Midori-chan! We finally found her!" Hidari said, pulling Midori to the front.

"Oh?" Master said with a kind smile. He took her hand, shaking it lightly, "You don't know how passionate these boys are with finding every single last Hikari who's survived. You should meet the others when they get back."

"Others?" Midori said uncertainly.

"That's right. Hidari and Migite have found a total of four over the years…and you're the fifth," Master nodded, "They all live with me."

Midori stared at Hidari and Migite, then looked back at the old man and said, "I hope they're not a burden to you…Having six people live here is…"

"Its fine, they're very manageable. Actually, I feel like I'm the one who should be grateful. I can't count how many times they've helped me along," Master laughed.

"If you wouldn't mind, sir, may we see the medallion?" Neji interrupted, "We are here on business."

"Neji…" Midori started, annoyed.

"No, no, the young man's right," Master said nervously. "Right this way." He bustled off, gesturing for the others to follow.

"Hey, don't be so rude to Master!" Hidari hissed quietly to Neji as they all followed.

"I was merely being productive," Neji said, "We've taken too many breaks as it is."

"We've already told you Master's innocent," Migite countered, "So you what you _should _be doing is finding a solution to the problem!"

"Thanks for the suggestion, I'll think about it," Neji said with a tone that implied he wanted to do things his way.

"You…"

"Hey," Midori said sternly, coming in between Neji and Hidari. "Neji, please," she said, giving him a look.

"Here we are," Master said, taking a box that had been hiding under his pillow. He took a ring of keys that had been hanging around his neck, picked one, and unlocked the box. Sitting on a velvet cushion was a round medallion with a complex design that closely resembled a bird above water. The medallion was golden and shiny, almost as if it had been polished every day.

"That's beautiful," Midori remarked.

"It is, isn't it?" Master said dreamily. "It's my prized possession. I feel bad about the boys stealing it from Kouza, but…it really is special."

"I'm sure it is," Midori nodded. She glanced at Neji with an uncertain look, but she couldn't tell what he was thinking, which she particularly like.

"Are you two going to stay for dinner?" Master asked, locking the box. "We always eat outside, so don't worry about the space."

"You go ahead and stay, Midori," Neji said. "I'll come to get you later."

"If you say so," Midori answered. Before he left, she suddenly touched his arm, stopping him. "Thanks." She blushed.

---

Kyoko sat on a single stool in the Hokage's office facing Tsunade. Next to the Godaime was Shizune who had a notebook and ink at hand. It wasn't hard to guess that she was about to be questioned.

"I'd like to have an overview of the events following the recent mission," Tsunade explained. "There's a lot on the line now that we've encountered Sasuke and Orochimaru, as I'm sure you know. I'm planning on sending a team to hunt for the Akatsuki members spotted. What would be the result?"

"The team you're sending…wouldn't happen to be Asuma, Shikamaru, Izumo, and Kotetsu, would it?" Kyoko said hesitantly.

"It would."

"…" Kyoko's mind was racing. It should've been obvious. She should save Asuma, of course, and allow everyone to skip the grief and sorrow. But if she were to do that, her team's information might transform into something useless. A new story would take off, wouldn't it? Or would things stay the same…?

She couldn't quite remember the details of every chapter she had read, and there was no telling what would happen. Should she really screw with what Kishimoto had planned? Perhaps this was what Midori had meant when they were twelve. Perhaps Asuma's death was a sacrifice for "the greater good".

Days ago, she would've immediately told Tsunade to call off the mission and that Asuma would die if it were to go through. But after seeing Sasuke and how twisted he had really become, she wasn't so sure anymore.

So what should she do? What _could _she do? Approve the mission and let things fall into place or...Save Asuma and risk a change in destiny?

* * *

Aaah...Neji reveals my secret. (dies) It's true, I've regretted making up those pasts in the NNJ for Kyoko, Midori, and Nami. It was so...UNNECESSARY. Seriously. But all I can do now is work off it. (grin) 

It seems like I'm adding more and more goofy guys...It must be because I'm so attracted to them. lol Uh...besides Neji...I guess. But really, I think there are too many serious men in Naruto, I just want everything to LIGHTEN up! That's why I like Naruto, Lee, and Kiba so much. And for the record, "Hidari" means "Left" and "Migite" means "Right". Haha...Ima dork :P

For AizoAnime Watchers: Not sure if there'll be many updates today, so keep a lookout for tomorrow! If you'd like to not waste your peeks at the site for when we update, feel free to subscribe to the site and you'll be sent an e-mail announcement whenever we update. Sound good? (smile)

That's all for now! Thanks for reading!

-HM


	26. Too Far

WHY am I always so busy nowadays? T.T It absolutely kills me to try to keep up with everything. Seriously. The bad part about all this is that I forget what I want to say. (sweatdrop) Sigh...Well folks, hope you enjoy the chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

Nami tailed the cat through the woods towards an open field. The sun had already begun to set, and Nami was afraid she'd lose the cat before it led her to its master. Luck was on her side. 

The cat climbed up a man's leg and into his arms. The man, who stroked the cat while looking intently at its fur, didn't even seem to notice Nami until she was five feet away. That was when he finally looked up to see her panting heavily, sweating like an ice cube in the sunlight.

"You…Are you…Yousai?" Nami gasped between breaths.

"And if I am?" Yousai said coldly. His cat hissed at Nami.

Nami drew back for a second, but straightened her posture and said, "I heard you fix swords."

"That's the commoner way of saying it…but yes," Yousai nodded. "And what does that have to do with you?"

"I need you to repair mine," Nami said.

"I will not do it."

"What? Why not?"

"Why should I?" the old man countered.

"Because…!"

"Oooh…Well isn't _that _a convincing response? Young lady, I don't have time for nonsense. I live a very demanding life, and I'd like to get on with it." The man turned his back and started to walk away.

"HEY!" Nami shouted, running over to the man and reaching for his shoulder.

THWACK!

Nami bit her lip. Her hand recoiled and her eyes narrowed. _What the…this old guy's strong! _

"_What?_" the elder snapped.

"Give me a reason why you won't repair my sword?" Nami ordered. "Is it money you want? Do you want me to do something?"

"I don't help bratty teenagers like you," Yousai said plainly. "Kids with no manners and who have no sense of the people around them aren't worth anything. Selfish people should do things on their own. You, my dear, are one of them. I can tell."

"You think you can make false accusations after talking to me for ten seconds?!"

"Yes. I do."

"Look, old man, you watch it," Nami said angrily, "You know what I think?"

"No, and I don't particularly care."

Nami was steaming. "I think you should take your OWN ADVICE! You know _nothing _about me!"

The old man smirked a bit. "Oh really? I'll tell you what, girl. If you can beat me, I'll fix your little sword. If I win, you must become my maid for the rest of your life."

"WHAT?"

"That's right. I do everything myself, but it'd be nice to have a maid around to do some work _for _me. I wouldn't expect you to cook, though. You'd probably try to poison, wouldn't you?"

Nami clenched her teeth. "One question. This isn't gonna be one of those old geezer tricks where you don't tell me what I'm supposed to beat you in and it turns out to be something you're a master at, is it?"

"No, no…Well, you're only half right. I'll tell you what we'll be competing in…It will simply be a hand-to-hand battle, weapons allowed. Seeing as you're a Konoha kunoichi, you shouldn't mind. And I _am _a master at combat."

Nami almost laughed out loud. "_You _wanna fight _me_?"

"Confident, are you? Well then, it shouldn't be hard for you to pin me down then, is it?" Yousai said, setting his cat on the ground and taking off his overcoat to reveal a basic shinobi uniform.

"All right, if you say so," Nami shrugged. "Get ready, old man, cuz I'm taking you down!"

"We'll see about that, little girl."

Nami immediately ran at the man, intent on using only taijutsu against her opponent._If I only knock him out, he won't get too injured…_ She threw a punch towards Yousai's stomach, but to her surprise, he blocked the attack with his arm, which revealed to her that he was wearing arm guards. Nami ducked to the ground and swung her leg, but Yousai merely evaded by jumping into the air. Upon landing, he slammed his arm towards Nami's face, but she quickly blocked it. However, the blow was enough to send her skidding backwards on her feet slightly, putting a short distance between the two.

"Don't look so surprised," Yousai said, "That was nothing. You can't beat me with mediocre taijutsu."

"I'm just getting warmed up!" Nami grimaced and decided she'd just have to pin the old man down. She made several hand signs and called, "Kage Bunshin no Jutsu!" Two clones appeared to her left and right. The three weaved in between each other, but Yousai just stood as if he were waiting for something to happen. One of the Namis targeted his head while the other aimed to tackle him down and the last came towards his legs. He dodged the first one and jabbed her in the back, kicking the one coming towards his stomach and evading the third. However, as the two clones poofed out of existence, the true Nami slammed her hand into the ground shouting, "Doton: Waru Chi no Jutsu (Earth Style: Splitting Earth Technique)!"

Yousai's eyes flickered for a split second as a crack appeared in where he stood. He gave a hefty leap backwards just in time to avoid falling into the huge rift in the field. As the ground continued to break, the area was split in half, creating a dark pit in between Nami and Yousai.

Nami didn't wait for Yousai to catch his breath and reached into her holster. She brought out several kunai and sent them forth. Then she quickly followed with a set of hand seals while Yousai dodged the projectiles that thudded at his feet.

Yousai was about to move when he came to the realization that he couldn't move. He peered down and saw the faint, thin strands of twine attached to the weapons Nami threw earlier. The way they had been aimed wasn't at him…They had been positioned to trap him!

"This is the end, old man!" Nami shouted victoriously, flicking her fingers and forcing the twine loose for a split second, then wrapping them completely around Yousai's body. "Hi Muchiutsu no Jutsu!" The twine on her fingers immediately turned into the guide towards Yousai for the flames. The man stood still, eyes closed. Just as the flames reached his body, he suddenly broke free, his skin and clothes burnt slightly.

_Perfect timing…_Nami raged. Most wouldn't have been able to break free at the right moment as the twine was being devoured so quickly. But Nami wasn't about to stop; she had already started another chain of seals. "Hi—"

Suddenly, Yousai appeared in front of her and grabbed her hands, which were currently in the tiger seal. He kicked her in the stomach suddenly, sending her across the ground backwards.

"You idiot," Yousai said, "Have you no view of your surroundings? It's a_field_. Use fire jutsu and you'll set the whole area aflame!"

"That's the plan," Nami said as she started running…in the direction OPPOSITE of Yousai.

Before Yousai could contemplate, he heard a cry of, "Katon: Hara Tobihi (Fire Style: Field of Leaping Flames)!" He whirled around to see a kage bunshin which had just popped out from hiding herself in the grass. "When—?!"

Nami watched from a safe distance as Yousai was engulfed with flames along with her clone, a satisfied grin on her face. The moment Yousai had closed his eyes when he was trapped in twine was when she created the clone and hid it within the tall grass. The old man was a goner. She won.

Nami's smile faded.

"OLD MAN!" Nami instantly dashed towards the heightening blaze, beads of sweat shooting down her face. She slapped her hands together and shouted, "RELEASE!"

The flames dispersed into the air, leaving the field blackened and burnt. There was no sign of Yousai.

"Old man! Hey! Where are you?!" Nami called with fear in her eyes. She heard footsteps behind her and turned around eagerly, "Old man—" her expression fell. It was only the cat. "What…have I done?"

---

"So…You've never been attacked by anyone of Rai?" Migite said, sounding surprised.

Midori shook her head.

"Strange…"

"Why is it so strange?" Midori questioned.

"Well, there are still some of the Rai who are bitter towards the remainders of Hikari," Migite explained. "You know, destroying the country and nearly all its inhabitants put them on the black list of the countries around them. It wasn't good for making alliances with other countries at all. It put everyone on edge."

"So that's why there are some groups in Rai that want to dispose of _all _the Hikari," Hidari said. "But its strange they never made an attempt on your life, especially since you kept your original surname _and_are the owner of the Hikari Suishou. I mean, we've seen our friends attacked over the years, and they were better disguised."

Midori decided not to mention the fact that she had returned to the Narutoverse just recently.

"Perhaps they wanted to be dramatic and kill off _all _Hikari members and _then_the heir to the Hikari Clan!" Hidari gasped, looking at Migite. "You know, Migite! Like in that movie!"

"It's plausible!" Migite agreed.

"Then that must be it!"

Midori stifled a laugh. "Er…Don't jump to conclusions…"

"We're back!" a deep voice called as the door opened.

"Nii-san's back!" Hidari and Migite chimed as they jumped up from their spot.

"A third brother?" Midori questioned, turning her head to see the new arrivals; a tall man about eighteen with long, black hair and gray eyes with a seventeen-year-old girl with the same black hair cut short and blue eyes standing next to him.

"He's not really our brother," Migite explained, "He's actually our second cousin's brother! His name is Kenage and this is Shizuka, his fifth cousin twice removed! Can you two recognize this person?" he gestured towards Midori who had a blank look on her face, her mind boggled, trying to follow Migite's explanations.

"…No…"

Hidari and Migite almost fell over. "Midori! It's Midori!"

Kenage blinked. "Midori?" He stepped forward and tilted Midori's head up, examining her facial features. Midori had a nervous look on her face, trying to avoid Kenage's piercing eyes. _They're almost as intimidating as Neji's…_ she thought.

Finally, after what was probably only five seconds, Kenage removed his hand from her chin and placed it atop her head, making her feel hopelessly short.

"Well, what do you know?" Kenage smiled quietly.

"U-Um…" Midori stuttered, glancing at Hidari and Migite for help.

"That's a sign of affection from Kenage!" Hidari announced. "So you remember now, eh, big guy?"

"Where in the world did you find her?" Kenage questioned.

"We ran into each other while she was on a mission with these two guys," Migite explained. "Which reminds me, you're _still _on the mission, right? And you're gonna set things straight with the guy hunting down Master, right Midori-chan?"

"Uh, right."

"You don't sound very reassuring."

"Don't worry, I will!" Midori mustered.

"That's more like it!"

It was then Master poked his head through the doorway and said, "Kenage! Shizuka! Do you know when Kentai and Tegoshi are coming back?"

"No," Kenage replied, "But knowing them, not until dinner."

As Midori watched the other Hikari members talk, she couldn't help but feel a bit left out. They were like a family with their master, and in a way, she had created them without even knowing they would be 'related'.

_I guess nothing ever goes exactly as planned…_ Midori thought with a smile.

---

Nami had lost track of time. She'd been sitting in the burnt field for who knows how long, wishing she hadn't gone so far. All she had to do was_defeat _him, and yet she didn't stop herself from ending the battle in the worst way. She watched the cat roam around what was left of the field, a sinking feeling in her stomach. "I'm sorry, cat…" Nami mumbled as she stood. She started walking towards the cat to pick it up, "Your master's…" Suddenly, she stopped. The cat was walking towards the edge of the crack and peering down into the dark abyss.

Nami ran over and looked down. Her eyes widened. "O-Old man?!"

Sure enough, Yousai was taking his sweet time walking up the side of the 'wall' of earth. As soon as he reached the top, he bopped Nami's head with his fist and shouted, "What did I tell you?! Now the field is completely burned away! Stupid, stupid, stupid…"

"H-How are you alive?!" Nami questioned.

"Haven't you figured it out, girl?" Yousai said, raising an eyebrow. "I happen to be able to channel my chakra quite well. If I weren't a shinobi, how do you think I managed to push back your attacks?"

Nami couldn't argue with that logic. "I guess I'll be leaving now." She passed him, ready to start her journey back to Konoha.

"Where do you think you're going?" Yousai questioned.

"Back home," Nami said. "I lost, didn't I?"

"That's right," Yousai agreed. "_But_…"

Nami stopped in her tracks and whirled around eagerly. "'But'?"

"You destroyed my favorite field," Yousai frowned. "I'm not letting you get away that easily."

"…Eh?"

"_And _the deal was that you'd become my maid," Yousai added. "I didn't forget."

Nami gaped. "Bu-bu-bu-bu—" she stuttered frantically.

"BUT," Yousai continued, "_I _didn't win. So I think we'll have to compromise. You must come out from 6 AM until say…4 PM and do the tasks I give you for a month."

"A _month_?!" Nami shouted, outraged. "NO WAY! More like five days! A week, maybe!"

"Three weeks!"

"One week!"

"Two weeks!"

"One and a half!"

"Two months!"

"One!"

"Deal," Yousai said with satisfaction.

"Good! W-Wait a sec…" Nami winced, realizing her little mistake. "Crap…"

"Well, little girl," Yousai smirked, "I will see you here bright and early tomorrow morning."

"No…" Nami gasped, dropping to her knees. "NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

By the time Nami got back to Konoha, it was late. _Very _late. She trudged into the apartment and called, "I'm home!" _That's weird…the lights aren't on. _She looked around for any sign of life, but she concluded that no one was hone.

Then, she spotted a note sitting on the table. She unfolded the paper and started to read.

_Guys,_

_I left with Shikamaru and the others to hunt down Hidan and Kakuzu. I didn't tell Tsunade about Asuma's death, but I'm gonna try to prevent it. I know what you're thinking, but if I told her, she would've stopped the mission, but this mission's important and I couldn't have stopped it. I won't let anyone die this time._

_Kyoko_

"…That idiot…" Nami murmured, crumpling up the paper and tossing it in the trash on the way out the door.

* * *

I'm not gonna lie. Everything with Hidan and Kakuzu is going to be troublesome. But it's something I want to do, so I'll do it! XD

For anyone who's interested, I'm converting the old NNJ into a manga (for practice, really) and the details will be on AizoAnime as soon as I get to it...which will probably be tonight or tomorrow. Of course...You guys have probably learned by now that I'm not that great at keeping my word with updates...So I apologize if I waste your time. :( I really don't mean to, it's just that a lot of things pop up at the last minute and I'm really bad at setting my priorities straight. -.- So let's hope I can get some productive stuff done, okay? Anyway, thanks for sticking around and bearing my horribleness, everyone! Love you all!

-HM


	27. Tailing the Culprit

SO SORRY FOR THE LAT UPDATE EVERYONE! There's something screwy going on with the computer I usually use and now the internet for that isn't working. So instead of me being on 24/7 like I usually am...I had to TAKE TURNS WITH MY FAMILY. X.X I know, right? XD Anyway...here's the next chapter! 

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

Neji and Kiba stood in an extravagant house with a tall, brood man whose head seemed to reflect the lights of the chandelier hanging above very well. The boys tried not to stare.

"As you can see, I'm a very busy man," Kouza said gruffly. "There's much business to take care of…Many things to buy."

"This will only take a moment, sir," Neji said. He glanced at a load of boxes sitting in the corner of the room. Kouza noticed this and said, "New shipment I bought. I really do need to have it sorted." He turned his back to the two and started moving the boxes with difficulty, huffing and wheezing.

"Let us help you with that," Neji said as he and Kiba grabbed hold of the boxes. 

Kiba whistled. "This is some pretty fancy stuff." The box he was hauling was filled with decorative trinkets. 

"That's one way of putting it, I suppose," Kouza said, wrinkling his nose. "I'm sorry, but I'm on a tight schedule, so I must leave now."

"That's all right," Neji said, "We have everything we need. Kiba."

Kiba just raised an eyebrow and followed the Hyuuga out the door.

---

"Damn it, damn it, damn it!" Nami cursed, heading towards the gates. However, she was halted by the two chuunin on guard duty. 

"Hold it there, Miss," one of the men said. "Where do you think you're off to? Didn't you just come through here a while ago?"

"Well yeah, but I have to…uh…" Nami couldn't just say she was going to follow her teammate on an S-Ranked mission. Besides, she didn't even know_where _they went or where to start looking. "Never mind." She turned around and walked back in the opposite direction, finally feeling the throbbing aches in her feet from traveling so much in one day. But she couldn't rest now. Plan A didn't work, so she was on to Plan B: Go to Tsunade.

---

"That guy was such a jerk," Kiba frowned as he and Neji walked down the streets.

"You _did_bring Akamaru into his home," Neji pointed out.

"So! _He _had a dog too!"

"His dog was pint-sized."

"Size doesn't matter," Kiba pouted.

"It kind of does," Neji said, rolling his eyes. "Back on topic…Did you notice anything strange about him?"

"You mean besides his abnormally shiny head?"

"…Yes…"

"Not really."

"When his back was turned, I used Byakugan to look around his house a little," Neji said, "Nothing seemed out of the ordinary…except him. You would think that a man of his status would never have drawn chakra, but…His chakra system was very much active."

"What, so you're saying that guy's a ninja?" Kiba said, surprised. "He could barely move those boxes!"

"Perhaps it was an act," Neji said. "I have a theory, but we'll test it once Midori's with us."

--- 

Kentai turned out to be a man about twenty-one with jet black hair and black eyes. Tegoshi was a boy her age with short black hair and brown eyes. From what she'd witnessed so far, Midori concluded that Kentai was the most responsible, being the oldest aside from Master, and Tegoshi was serious for his age as well…At least, much more serious than the Kousen Brothers. 

"I bet you'll be glad once this mission's over, eh Midori?" Hidari said, "I'd hate to be on the same team as that white-eyed, scary guy." He stared at Midori when she started hacking on her rice. "Uh…you okay?"

"…Just fine," Midori mustered. "He's really not bad."

"Are you kidding?" Migite laughed. "He's colder than Kentai!"

Kentai glared at Migite who's laughing diminished into a nervous chuckle. 

"I'm joking, you know!" Migite said, daring to nudge the older man. 

Kentai rolled his eyes.

"If White Eyes hadn't allowed you to stay, we would've kicked his ass!" Hidari declared. "And you shouldn't have to listen to him either! You're your own person!"

"He's…kind of the captain for the mission…" Midori pointed out.

"This is the reason why I'm the one who's always paired with Kentai on trips," Tegoshi muttered to Midori. "No doubt those two would drive him insane." 

"What about Kenage? Or Shizuka?" Midori asked. When she glanced at Shizuka, the girl simply stared down at her food.

"We're split up by age group, usually," Tegoshi said, "And Shizuka doesn't go anywhere without Kenage."

"Oh…"

"Its better this way," Master piped, "Everyone's personalities compliment each other and they can remain safe. You could think of it as a buddy system."

Midori couldn't help but smile.

The group was sitting on a large, tan blanket spread out on the grass as if they were having a picnic instead of dinner. Midori couldn't help but feel oddly serene, sitting there with a 'family' under the darkening sky. If it weren't for Neji appearing suddenly to take her back, she would've forgotten she was on a mission.

"It's time to leave," Neji said, walking towards the group. 

"She's not done eating!" Hidari and Migite shouted in unison. 

Neji's mouth twitched. Midori sensed an irritated aura and quickly stuffed the remains of her dinner into her mouth and mumbled, "Mmf-un!" She grabbed Neji's arm and started running, waving behind her and calling, "Thanks for dinner!" before anything could transpire.

"If I didn't know where you came from, I'd be surprised that those two are related to you," Neji said bitterly.

"They're really not bad," Midori said. Whoa. De-ja-vu.

---

"TSUNADE-BAA!"

Tsunade jumped in her seat when the door to her office slammed into the wall off its hinges. Then she saw Nami, stomping over with a particularly panicky ninja trying to restrain her. Tsunade massaged her temples. 

"I-I'm sorry, Hokage-sama! I'll have her out in just a second…"

"No, no, it's fine. No need to restrain her," Tsunade sighed. "What is it, Nami."

"What's the big idea, sending Kyoko off on an S-Ranked mission!" Nami demanded. 

"Kyoko informed me about the mission," Tsunade said, "And she felt she would be of good help to the team if she was able to tag along and advise them. But this is a matter that has no relevance to you. What do you want?"

"I want you to dispatch another team after them!" Nami shouted. "Including me! I don't know why you put so much faith into her words! You should've questioned me or Midori before taking her word for it!"

Tsunade narrowed her eyes. "Things are a bit more complicated than you think, Nami."

"How so?" Nami glared at Tsunade. 

"You think you've got it all figured out? You think I don't _know _that you girls would be perfectly capable of twisting words around? This isn't about what happens in the near future, Nami! This is about the safety of you three!"

"…What?"

"Having the three of you in Konoha for a long period of time isn't safe," Tsunade explained seriously, "Now that Orochimaru is aware of your presence in this world, he's most likely to go after you. My assumption is that he'd want all of you to be sure of the future completely. The thought probably never occurred to you, but you and your friends are constantly being protected. Not only from Orochimaru, but from other potential enemies..."

"But...If Kyoko's going after Akatsuki…" Nami murmured. She shook her head. "You shouldn't have sent her."

"Well, I did. I can't call her back," Tsunade said. "But now that you're here, what would you advise?"

"Send me and a back-up team," Nami said immediately, "Trust me, they'll be needing it." Without another word, she turned around and walked out of the room. As soon as she reached the outdoors, however, she ran into…

"What the…Yousai! What're _you _doing here! Did you follow me!" Nami demanded.

"Very good," Yousai nodded with mock-satisfaction, "Now recite your ABCs."

"I don't have time for this!" Nami started to storm off, but Yousai stuck a wooden cane out, stopping her in her tracks. 

"Not so fast, young'un," Yousai said sharply. "I _thought _you might go back on our deal, so just to make sure you didn't run off tonight, I followed you."

"Look, old man, this 'deal' really isn't as important as saving my friend!"

"And how do you know if your friend needs saving?" Yousai questioned. "Do you doubt your friend's ability? In my opinion, if the Hokage dispatches a back-up team, _you _do not need to be present. There are other shinobi that would be fine for the job. Of course, if you'd rather go off then I understand. I'm fine with not repairing your katana."

Nami clenched her fists and mumbled, "Fine." _You're on your own this time, Kyoko._

--- 

"That Kouza guy didn't really seem all that interested in the medallion," Kiba said as he absentmindedly scratched Akamaru behind the ears. "He didn't even remember it was stolen until we reminded him. But right after he remembered, he got pretty angry about it. 'When I catch those thieving bastards, I'll have them executed!'" Kiba imitated with a deep voice and rolled his eyes. "Like he could get away with that."

"There has to be a way to let Kouza be okay with Master keeping the medallion…" Midori said thoughtfully.

"What I want to know is who stole the medallion in the first place," Neji said. 

"Think we could track the real thief down?" Kiba said, grinning toothily.

"I do."

"Do you guys know something I don't?" Midori asked curiously.

"That depends," Neji said. "Kiba, I want you to go back to examine the medallion. Midori, you and I will check the store where Kouza had found the medallion."

"Got it," Kiba nodded, "C'mon, Akamaru!" He hopped onto Akamaru's back and rode off.

"Okay…" Midori replied with confusion. 

Some time later, Midori and Neji stood outside a quaint store with a "CLOSED" sign hanging on the door. It wasn't surprising, for every customer had gone to sleep a long time ago. The moon was a faint crescent in the sky, but there was no need for lights. 

"This way," Neji muttered, dashing into the alleyway between the store and a restaurant. "If I'm not mistaken, this is where the shipment for the store is delivered."

"So the delivery is today?" Midori whispered.

Neji nodded. 

It was then the back door creaked open, letting a ray of light splash onto the dark ground. A shadow emerged, then the elderly man who owned the store. He looked left and right tiredly. Then someone else appeared: a man covered from head to toe in black. Only his eyes were visible.

Neji activated his Byakugan. _This isn't Kouza…_

"The money," the man in black said.

"I-I'm sorry, I don't have all of it yet…These aren't selling for as much as I thought…" the old man said nervously as he pulled out a wallet from his bag. 

"Hmph." The taller man snatched the money from the elder's hands and pocketed the bills. "You're in serious debt, old man." 

"I'm sorry."

"Yeah, yeah." As he left, Neji and Midori secretly tailed him. It wasn't until they were a distance away from the shop did Neji told Midori that_they _were being followed as well. 

Midori glanced back ever so slightly. Suddenly, she jerked to the side, narrowly missing a kunai slicing across the space where her nose had been seconds ago. While twisting in the air, she shot a sharp chakra arrow into the darkness. The sparks bounced off the cold ground, revealing two ninja, male and female, darting out of the way.

Neji observed the black ninja ahead of them for a split second then said, "Midori, you'll be all right on your own?"

"Of course," Midori said, dropping her arms into a battle position. "I'll catch up to you."

Neji nodded and continued without hesitation.

_Okay, _Midori thought, _they're using the darkness to their advantage…Guess I have no other choice but to use Meikakugan…I'll have to be careful. _Midori's brown eyes darkened to black as her pupils lightened to white. She could just barely see the silhouettes of the enemies created by the light of the moon. Quickly, she outstretched her arm and drew her left hand back. She fired off the second arrow straight towards the male shinobi.

"Good eye," he remarked as he dodged the projectile by a whisker. "But a little girl's no match for us, eh Tatsuki?"

"That's for sure, Ginta," Tatsuki smirked. 

Instantly, the two bounded towards Midori at speeds that might've rivaled Lee's or Gai's. Luckily, Midori's quick reactions saved her from a nasty poisoned blade and kick in the gut. Midori attempted to retreat back; close-combat wasn't her strong point, but the pair wouldn't allow it. Ginta sent punch after punch while the nimble Tatsuki appeared and disappeared in the worst places. Finally, the fatigue started to catch up with Midori, slowing down her movement. 

"Ack!" Midori choked as she was sent flying across the ground, face throbbing. She stumbled to her feet, in time to avoid another clobber. _I can't stay on defense, I have to attack now! _Just as Ginta threw another punch, Midori slammed her foot out, bouncing off his heavy fist and pushing off into the air. Her hands flowed through the hand seals and after a few seconds, chakra consumed her hands. She slashed her fingers through the air, sending quick rays of chakra towards the targets.

Tatsuki appeared behind Midori, her leg ready to smash her into a wall. However, Midori whirled around and intercepted the attack with her arm coated in chakra. She used her free hand to throw a punch at the woman who blocked with her own hand. Tatsuki's eyes widened with surprise as chakra started biting into her arm like needles. She hastily leapt back with a grimace. Testing her throbbing arm, she noticed small groups of reddening spots on her skin. _So…She's trying to incapacitate me _and _cut off my chakra, huh? _

"Not gonna happen, little girl," Tatsuki growled.

Midori narrowed her eyes. She started running, turning her attention to Ginta and drawing a large amount of chakra to her hand. She waited for the moment when Ginta would try a strike and with a clean slash of her hand, Ginta's right arm fell limply at his side.

"What the—!" Ginta hollered, faltering to some extent. He wasn't quick enough to dodge the second blow from Midori…This time at his leg. Ginta toppled over with a loud 'thud!' "Goddamn it!" 

"You idiot!" Tatsuki scowled. 

"One down," Midori grinned victoriously. 

"I'm not as stupid as Ginta," Tatsuki said bitterly. She started running, hands reaching from behind and pulling out handfuls of kunai. She sent the projectiles flying with frightening accuracy, cutting Midori in several places before she had the time to brandish her own kunai and deflect the rest. Midori's brow furrowed when she noticed a kunai she had propelled detonate with the explosive tag attached to it. Her mind raced as she realized the other knives had fallen close by. 

BOOM!

Tatsuki smirked. "Game over." Her smirk suddenly dropped into a frown as the smoke cleared. In the dark, it was easy to see the glow of the chakra radiating around Midori who had her hands touching the ground. 

_Close one,_Midori breathed as the chakra barrier fell. Her hand instinctively moved over the crystal hanging from her neck; the crystal she'd been drawing chakra from for quite some time. _I hope I can hold out until the end…_ She thought, grasping the jewel. Midori stood still, daring Tatsuki to attack.

However, it wasn't Tatsuki who made the next move. It wasn't Midori, either, but someone from behind.

"What—!" Midori gasped as her arms were restrained roughly. She suddenly felt the presence of at least ten ninja appear in the area.

"It's about time," Tatsuki glowered, walking towards Midori. "That explosive tag was a call for back-up. Thanks for setting it off for me," she grinned at Midori. Her eyes settled on the Hikari Suishou and there was something in her stare that Midori found distasteful. Midori started to form chakra around her hands, but her progress was stopped short when Tatsuki reached over and snapped the crystal from the black ribbon around Midori's neck. 

"Aha…" Tatsuki said with interest, "Your chakra diminishes when you're not in contact with this little jewel…" She examined the crystal in her fingers and said, "I think I'll keep this, thank you. It'll be worth a lot."

"Give that back!" Midori shouted as if Tatsuki would simply hand it over when asked. 

"No, I don't think I will," Tatsuki answered nonchalantly. "Now, what do you think we should do with this little wench, boys? Any ideas, Ginta? Maybe some revenge?"

"Hell yeah," Ginta snarled. He was being supported by a few of the newcomers. "I say we rip her limb from limb. Slowly."

Midori wasn't doing a very good job of hiding her fear. _Calm down, Midori. You can find a way out of this. Think like Shikamaru…Think of the possible—Who am I kidding! I'm dead if I can't get out of this mess! _Midori thought alarmingly. She tried to move with the raw strength she had, but that only resulted in two shinobi holding her back instead of one. It was clear she couldn't get out of this mess herself. But who was supposed to save her now?

* * *

I hope I can finish this whole mission thing by next chapter. I think I will. :D BTW the names Tatsuki and Ginta aren't really revalent to anything...I was typing the chapter on my internet-less laptop and pulled random names from the air. (shifty eyes) No biggie.

TO AIZOANIME WATCHERS: AizoAnime will be updated some time today...I'm pretty sure I'll have the time. (grin) As well as two pages of the manga and...THE NNJ MOVIE TRAILER! NO WAI. Yeah, I'm actually working on it.

Anyway, thanks for reading! 

-HM 


	28. Anticlimatic

Sorry for not updating yesterday! I woke up pretty late and didn't have very much time on the computer...What can you do? (sweatdrop) Anyway, the editor for the documents is kind of nice...Even though my little dash lines don't work in between paragraphs anymore! D: What's up with that? It kind of annoys me because you all know how much I like separating scenes with dash lines. Oh well...I don't suppose anyone has a better way of separating scenes? If you do, could you tell me? Much appreciation.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

_Think, Midori…Think…You can get out of this…Somehow…_ Midori narrowed her eyes in frustration. Her mind was blank and it didn't help that the enormous Ginta was stepping closer and closer, a murderous look in his eyes. Something told her he wouldn't hold back while ripping her limb from limb. _Nobody's here to save me again! _She frowned. Every other battle she'd been in, she required saving. She could never fight a battle without assistance, and now that she had the chance to fight on her own, she blew it. Again.

Midori shook her head. _I have to catch up with Neji or—Wait! _An idea hit her._  
This must work…_ She immediately closed her eyes and concentrated. She could hear the heavy footsteps nearing steadily as well as the variety of sneers and snickers. The sound of Ginta's footsteps was the only sound she singled out. Closer…closer…

"This is for earlier, bi—"

_NOW._

Midori's eyes flew open and the last of her chakra burst from every part of her body. The sudden radiation was enough to force the enemies controlling her back as well as Ginta. A small space was opened, and Midori took that as her ticket out of the crowd. She reached into her pouch and pitched several smoke bombs down, which gave her the cover she needed to escape.

Breathing heavily, she ran. The confused shouts and cries seemed to be moving farther away, but perhaps that was because her senses were starting to become vague. Abruptly, her legs buckled beneath her and she face-planted straight into the ground. Midori lay there, unable to move or groan and her chakra depleted. Before she blacked out, she asked herself: _Now what?_

-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-

"We've got a lead on them," Asuma announced. He and his team had exited the Fire Temple, and he wasn't too enthusiastic about what he found during the visit. He wasn't about to let what Hidan and Kakuzu did fly, and Kyoko knew that more than anyone.

_Let's just hope my presence here isn't a waste, _Kyoko thought.

-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-

_Did they find me? Am I…What the…WHO'S LICKING MY FACE?! _The moment she opened her eyes, Midori came face-to-face with the tongue of a dog equipped with bad breath. "AUGH!" She shrieked as she scrambled away.

"Told you it'd wake her up," Kiba said, pulling Akamaru away. He leaned towards Midori curiously and said, "You all right?"

"Yeah…" Midori answered, examining her surroundings. She gathered that they were outside, but the place was unfamiliar to her.

"We found you knocked out someplace over there," Kiba said, jabbing a thumb in the direction behind him. "You gave these 'cousins' of yours a heart attack. They insisted to come. All of them."

"MIDORI-CHAN! You're ALIVE!" Hidari exclaimed, much to Kiba's annoyance.

"Keep it down, will ya?!" Kiba hollered.

"Who were you attacked by?" Migite demanded.

"We'll kick their ass!"

Midori smiled uncertainly then turned to Kiba, "Neji went up ahead."

"She's ignoring us," Migite and Hidari sulked.

"I was fighting two shinobi, but they had back up," she continued, "When I retreated, I had no chakra…And I still feel kind of weak. I don't know if they caught up to Neji, but you've got to check it out."

"Midori-chan!" Migite gasped, "What happened to the Hikari Suishou?"

Midori touched her neck instinctively only to find the crystal wasn't there. Then she remembered. "Oh no…I can't believe I forgot! The woman I was battling took it from me…"

"Don't worry, Midori, I'll get it back for you," Kiba said reassuringly. "Let's go, Akamaru!"

"We'll go with you!" Hidari and Migite chimed. "We must avenge our kin!"

"Great," Kiba muttered.

"We'll come as well," Kentai said, gesturing towards himself and Tegoshi. "Kenage, you and Shizuka stay here, all right?"

Kenage nodded.

"All right, let's get a move on," Kiba called as he boarded Akamaru and took off.

"If you all came…what about Master?" Midori asked Kenage. "Won't he be in danger alone?"

"He insisted," Kenage explained, "He said he'd be fine by himself."

"But what if he's robbed again?"

"Actually, I'm a bit worried about him too…" Kenage admitted.

"If Master says he will be fine, then he will be fine," Shizuka said quietly.

Midori looked at her strangely for a second. _I've never heard her speak before…_

-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE

_So this is where our little friend has run off to, _Neji thought as he peered down through an opening in the roof of a deserted warehouse. He scanned through the darkness, locating the black ninja as well as another familiar face. _Just as I suspected…Kouza. _

"He came up short," the ninja in black reported.

"Again…Hm…" Kouza murmured as he leafed through the bills. "…I suppose I can haggle less…"

"If you don't mind me saying, I think he's starting to realize he's gaining less than he paid for," the black ninja said.

"Oh please," Kouza scoffed, "With the other junk he buys, he wouldn't even notice the antiques he buys from you is what's throwing off his profit."

"Shouldn't we relocate business? What about those Konoha ninja who bothered you earlier? What should happen if you were to be found out?"

"What could they prove? All these stolen items are always traded between many of my men and the old man; he can't very well say he stole the merchandise. I haven't been caught yet, even if my servants have…" he smirked. "Just don't get caught and everything will be all right."

"Yes, sir."

_So that's it…_ Neji thought. It was then he sensed the presence of a group of people coming towards the warehouse, and he took care to quickly hide himself. As the group passed, he recognized the two that had confronted Midori and him before. But Midori wasn't with them.

"We're back," Tatsuki said bad-temperedly.

"Ah. Any trouble?" Kouza questioned, eyeing Ginta who was being assisted.

Ginta scowled. "We ran into a brat. She ran off like a coward."

"A coward who beat you," Tatsuki said, rolling her eyes.

"You wanna come over here and say that to my face?" Ginta snarled.

"Enough!" Kouza ordered. "Let us plan for the next raid."

_Twenty-six, _Neji noted. _Twenty-six people including Kouza. If I were to battle them all alone, there's a slight chance I'd win. However…There are four exits Kouza would be able to escape through. _Before he started to formulate a plan of action, he saw another group coming, and this time, he could reveal himself.

"There you are," Neji said, "Where's Midori?"

"She's resting up," Kiba said, "Her chakra was completely depleted."

"All right. And what did you find out?"

"You were right," Kiba said, "The strongest scents I could smell was Master's, the shop owner's, and Kouza's."

"And…this lot?"

"I picked them up at the cottage. They insisted."

"You got a problem with that, pretty boy?" Hidari demanded.

"Calm yourself, Hidari," Migite said, rolling his eyes.

"Actually, I'm glad," Neji said, "There's a band of twenty-six in that warehouse. What are your abilities?"

"Ah, with the six of us, it'll be a piece of cake," Hidari said confidently.

"That's seven," Kiba said, placing his hand on Akamaru's head.

"Uh, right."

Neji made eye contact with Kentai, the one who seemed to have the most authority.

"It's true," Kentai nodded, "We can take care of ourselves. We can take on twenty-six."

Neji nodded, "All right. Our mission is to capture Kouza…"

-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE

Why doesn't she ever talk more?" Midori asked Kenage as she looked up into the tree that Shizuka sat in, staring off into the distance.

"She's very shy," Kenage said.

"I gathered. Is there a reason?"

"I suppose you wouldn't remember…" Kenage said, "But way back when the Hikari Village was still thriving, Shizuka was pressured into being quiet and refined by her parents. Her parents were very overprotective, and she didn't want to disappoint them. Ever since they died, I guess she wanted to allow their teachings to live on...maybe to show that their lessons hadn't gone to waste. I think she's trying a bit too much, but…I suppose old habits die hard."

"But…hasn't spending time with all of you helped her out?" Midori asked, thinking of how outspoken Hidari and Migite were. Surely she couldn't stand not talking around _those _two.

"You couldn't tell from knowing her for less than a day," Kenage smiled, "But yes, it has. She's a very sweet girl once you get to know her. She only talks when she needs to, and when she does, it's always something she feels it's important to hear."

"You don't say…" Midori said thoughtfully. She stood up, "Well, I think it's about time we catch up to the others, don't you think?"

"You're ready?"

"No worries. We medics heal very fast," Midori said with a grin, pumping her arm as if she thought Kenage needed proof.

"If you say so," Kenage shrugged, "Shizuka! We're going!"

Shizuka looked down and slid off her branch, landing skillfully on the ground without a sound.

-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE

When the group broke in, Kouza immediately set the shinobi against them. He watched in horror as his forces were slowly getting pushed back. It seemed that the youths would become victorious soon, and he didn't want to be around when it happened. He debated on retreating, but not only were that crazy Konoha dog boy and his mutt ricocheting off the walls every five seconds, but he was no where near any of the exits, and he wasn't about to risk his neck running through a battle field.

"Give it up, Kouza," Neji ordered, gentle-fisting a man roughly into a wall. "You have no other tricks up your sleeve."

"Damn it, if I could just move!" Ginta grumbled angrily.

"That's what you think," Kouza growled. "Get up, you fools! I don't pay you to lose!"

"You heard him!" Tatsuki shouted, "Attack them!"

"You must be the one who fought Midori-chan," Migite said, appearing on Tatsuki's left suddenly.

"You have something that belongs to our friend," Hidari said, appearing at her right. "May we have it back?"

"Go to hell," Tatsuki sneered.

"What a dirty mouth for a girl," Hidari and Migite sighed.

Tatsuki's hands touched the ground as she performed a hand stand. She started swinging her legs around in order to hit the boys with the same attack, but she missed. As she continued to try making contact with the two, her anger rose. "Hold still, damn it!"

"YAHOOOOOO!" Kiba shouted as he and Akamaru spun around the warehouse as two wild tornadoes knocking out everything they touched.

Neji steadied himself, hands in the Hyuuga battle position. "Tone it down, Kiba! You'll destroy the warehouse!"

Kiba and Akamaru screeched to a stop, Akamaru standing atop an unfortunate opponent, wagging his tail.

Kentai cracked his hand against another man's neck, knocking him out. "You're out of options, Kouza. Come quietly."

"Kind of late for that," Tegoshi remarked, kicking an enemy into the ground.

Kouza looked around anxiously, "Tatsuki! Do something!"

"Forget it!" Tatsuki screeched, jumping backwards and away from the Kousen brothers. "I'm outta here!" She was about to leap out the glassless window when a kunai whizzed through the window from the outside, narrowly missing her nose. "What the…" She peered out to see Midori, Kenage, and Shizuka perched on a branch of a tall tree only few meters away.

"Going somewhere, _Tatsuki-chan_?" Midori called with a wave. "Aren't you forgetting something?"

Tatsuki grinded her teeth and whirled around only to witness Kouza getting apprehended by Kentai and Neji. "Damn…"

Midori's eyes narrowed as Tatsuki leapt out the window and started retreating in the other direction. "Get her!" She shouted, bounding off the branch and taking off after the woman. As she lost sight of Tatsuki at sharp turn, she still continued, but at a slower pace. After a several seconds, she completely stopped. _Where…?_

The thud of a kunai reached her ears and her head turned to see the explosive tag go off. Midori dashed behind a tree just in time to avoid the heated blast. However, another kunai strung with tags flew in her direction, keeping her on her toes. She darted behind another tree.

Female laughter filled the air. "Come out, come out, wherever you are!"

Midori couldn't tell where the laughter was coming from. _I didn't recover a lot of chakra…Better make this count. _She zipped out from behind the tree, hands armed with kunai. She spun and releasing the kunai in an array of directions then disappeared within the shrubs again.

Tatsuki saw the kunai coming and dodged. The moment she evaded the kunai, she was met with Midori who had her fist poised. Tatsuki couldn't dodge in the air, so she held her arms up to brace for impact. It never came.

Midori had passed right through Tatsuki like a ghost. Or a clone.

_It's just a bunshin…_ Tatsuki thought. She wasn't able to think anything else, however, for seconds after her realization, she received a swift, chakra-powered kick in the back. The crack of Tatsuki's spine sounded followed by the thump of her weary body hitting the earth.

"You're finished," Midori stated successfully.

All Tatsuki could do was groan.

The next day was the day Neji, Kiba, and Midori would make their return journey back to Konoha.

"Thank you very much for everything!" Master bowed gratefully. "To think Kouza was stealing others' belongings…"

"Stealing, selling for his own profit then buying them for a lower price!" Hidari said, shaking his head. "What a twisted plan."

"It would've never worked out in the long-run," Migite shrugged.

"Well, I'm still grateful either way," Master chuckled.

"We're happy to help," Neji said, "And now we really need to get back to report the success of the mission. Thank you for your hospitality."

"It's been fun," Midori added, "It was…enlightening. I'll come and visit anytime I can."

"Now why would you have to do that when we're going to come back with you?" Hidari asked.

"…Come again?"

"I'm moving back to my old home," Master said, "And I can't keep these kids cooped up here forever. You should be together, as a family. I'll be all right…Despite the recent events, this place is rather peaceful."

"Which means we'll all be living in the same village as you, Midori-chan! Isn't that great?!"

"That's…GREAT news!" Midori cracked a smile.

"Give us about two minutes to get our bags," Kentai said productively. "We won't burden you; we can carry them."

"Hope it's not a dump there," Tegoshi said, following Kentai. "I've never been to Konoha."

"Oh, I'll miss you kids," Master said with a sad smile.

Shizuka wrapped her arms around the old man, giving him a silent hug.

"We'll miss you too," Kenage said, embracing _both _of them.

Midori dared a glance at Neji, who seemed completely speechless at the moment. "Um…We'll wait outside," Midori said, placing her hands on Neji's shoulders lightly and pushing him out the door.

-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE

_This is it, _Kyoko thought as she and the group neared the exchange point. _Hidan and Kakuzu...!_

* * *

LOL I suck. I think it's kind of confusing, but I tried to have Hidari explain it simply. There are probably a bunch of loopholes and it's still unclear, but...I'm really bad with these kinds of things, and you've probably realized that by now. X.X Basically Kouza traded the stolen items with a bunch of other people (his minions and a few others) before it actually reached the shop so he couldn't be tracked, sold them, and bought them for a different price. Obviously the old man would've figured that he was losing money and Kouza would've been out of business easily. Stupid Kouza.

What Midori did with her chakra is pretty much what Neji did in the Sasuke Retrieval Arc when he was trapped against the tree with Kidoumaru's web. I wasn't sure if it was just a Hyuuga thing or not, but I'm pretty confident that it's not. Correct me if I'm wrong, please. I like to get my facts straight. :)

Now...to start on the next arc...There'll be a lot of manga-reading for me to do. (sigh) And...Major cursing up ahead, probably. Thanks a lot, Hidan.

NNJ MOVIE: If anyone has a mic and is interested in voicing in the NNJ movie, (the cast is mostly Naruto characters) please check AizoAnime for more info. :) It'd definitely give me motivation to finish the movie quickly.

Anywho, I'm probably forgetting something very important, but I can't remember that now, so BYE FOR NOW!

-HM


	29. Challenging Fate

So sorry I didn't update last week, guys! I've been deprived of my usual computer time and there wasn't much I was able to do in the time I had. (Plus I won't be having another week-long break until next month, I think...) However, I got another router and now the precious computer I usually work on is fixed, so things will hopefully get back to normal soon...

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

The first thing Kyoko did was inform the team of Hidan and Kakuzu's abilities. As she spoke, she glanced at Shikamaru who seemed to be already formulating a plan in his mind. Once she finished, Shikamaru said, "Then the best thing to do is find and kill off the one with the five hearts while he's away from the immortal guy."

"If you don't mind me making a suggestion…" Kyoko said, pulling out a small capsule from her pouch and tossing it in the air. "I have an idea. Actually, it was your idea."

Shikamaru raised an eyebrow.

Kakuzu stepped out of the smelly room and took a deep whiff of fresh air. He only had a second before a kunai sliced inches before his face. Kakuzu took a step back in alarm and looked in the direction that the weapon was thrown. He saw two shinobi; a teenage girl and an older man. He noted their Konoha forehead protectors as well as the man's bandana tied around his waist.

"Another bounty?" Kakuzu said, amused. "They're coming to_ me_ now…"

Asuma charged towards Kakuzu, brandishing his chakra daggers while Kyoko backed him up with a kunai in hand. Kakuzu jumped out of the line of fire and held out his arms. His hands immediately detached from his wrists; long, black threads were the only things that kept the parts together. As his hands made a grab for the two Konoha ninja, the strands whipped about wildly, blocking them from any way of escape. The filaments clutched their arms and legs, immobilizing them.

Just as Kakuzu gripped the necks of Asuma and Kyoko, he's eyes widened. He suddenly swerved forward, avoiding the huge spiked weapon Izumo and Kotetsu swung towards him. Kakuzu winced as he felt a small sting of the weapon skimming his back. His feet left the ground once again, avoiding another powerful attack from Asuma aimed at his chest.

Kyoko tossed an array of kunai towards Kakuzu and made several hand seals, shouting, "Ninpou: Kagami Kunai (Ninja Art: Mirror Knives)!" The number of kunai quadrupled, and Kakuzu realized that the knives had burning explosive tags hanging off of them. He weaved between the kunai and saw that many of them were mere fakes that disappeared upon impact. However, the ones that were real exploded in seconds, spreading huge clouds of dark smoke that blurred his vision.

Kakuzu started to move out of the smoke, but he stopped. "What the hell?"

As the smoke cleared, Shikamaru was revealed, hands in the familiar position of the Kagemane no Jutsu. "Success," Shikamaru said, forcing the shadowy hand to slowly creep up Kakuzu's neck. _Now all we have to do is hack at him until all five hearts are terminated._

"Hmph," Kakuzu frowned. "Looks like I'm caught…" _Strange…Where'd the man and girl go?_

"If that damned partner keeps me waitin' any longer, I'm gonna tear his head off," Hidan growled to himself. It was then he heard footsteps behind him. Standing up, he said,"What took you so lo—" However, when he recognized the newcomer to _not _be Kakuzu, he ducked before his head could be lobbed off. "Who the hell are you?"

"Just the guy who'll put you to death," Asuma said, swiping his daggers towards Hidan once more.

"I wish," Hidan sighed, dodging Asuma and pulling up his three-bladed scythe.

Kyoko leapt out from behind and unleashed a hail of needles from her two fans, spiking Hidan across the back.

"Damn, that stings!" Hidan roared, whirling around and slashing the scythe at Kyoko.

Kyoko barely evaded the blade. She landed on her feet and backed up out of the range of the weapon, then attacked again. Kyoko snapped one of the fans in her hand and aimed it sharply at Hidan's chest. Hidan smacked the fan before it could make contact and said, "You'll have to do better than that!"

Asuma ran the sharp chakra protruding from the dagger against the back of Hidan's neck, finally making contact.

Hidan cut towards the retreating Asuma when Kyoko leapt in front of the jounin. Blood splattered over the tip of the first blade to Hidan's satisfaction.

"Kyoko!" Asuma shouted as he caught the girl and slid several meters away from Hidan.

Hidan licked the blade excitedly and his body instantly turned color. Then he stabbed his blade into his own stomach and spread his blood across the ground, etching a symbol with the bottom of his shoe. "And now it begins!" he laughed, piercing his leg with a psychotic look on his face. His grin widened when he heard Kyoko's devastating shriek and he watched the girl clutch her leg.

"Feel the pain? Feels good, doesn't it? Where next…?" Hidan pondered delightedly. "Arm? Gut? Neck? Heart?"

"…Stop…!" Kyoko pleaded, clutching her leg with both hands.

"All right, all right, it'll be all over in a second, Princess," Hidan said, holding his weapon in front of him.

Asuma set Kyoko down gently and aimed his daggers at Hidan, but he hastily leapt backward when Hidan's scythe came centimeters from his own heart.

"There's nothin' you can do now, bastard! In the name of Jashin-sama...die!" Hidan laughed as he plunged his scythe straight into his chest.

-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-

Shikamaru could hear Kyoko's shriek and sweat appeared on his face.

"What's…happening…?" Kakuzu grimaced.

"So she was right…" Shikamaru said with the slightest spark of relief. "Using your blood against your own partner…It actually worked. One down, four to go."

"Damn you," Kakuzu growled. "That's all you're gonna get outta me."

"Izumo, Kotetsu!" Shikamaru shouted.

"Roger!" the two shinobi aimed their weapons towards Kakuzu.

Kakuzu shut his eyes and concentrated. Beads of sweat raced down his chin as something started separating from his back.

Shikamaru tensed, his hands started to shake and he had to summon all his strength to keep the jutsu going. _These must be the masks containing the hearts Kyoko was talking about…! _

The black monsters jumped off Kakuzu's back and away from the shadow binding their master. They bounded towards Shikamaru, but Izumo and Kotetsu barred their way. However, as they were fighting off two of the monsters, the third leapt over the battle and lashed at Shikamaru.

Shikamaru had no other choice but to dart away from the offender, and evidently, the jutsu broke.

"Excellent!" Kakuzu exclaimed victoriously.

_Damn! _Shikamaru thought urgently, dodging Kakuzu's black wisps. "Izumo! Kotetsu! Out of the way!"

The duo darted away just in time to avoid Kakuzu's flying strands of black. "What's the new plan?" Izumo questioned urgently.

"I'd say don't die," Kotetsu murmured, pulling out a kunai.

-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-

"Kakuzu's not gonna die in just one hit," Hidan sneered. "And your little trick won't work twice." He stepped out of the useless circle and started running towards Asuma and Kyoko. "You guys are starting to piss me off. Time to end this shitty battle!"

Kyoko stood next to Asuma, ready for Hidan's attack. She expected him to start swinging his scythe around until he hit either her or Asuma, but she was wrong. Instead, Hidan created five clones of himself; kage bunshin. The first few chucked an array of shuriken and kunai, and as the two Konoha shinobi avoided the hail, the next Hidan threw two larger shuriken in their direction, narrowly missing both of them.

Asuma weaved through the weapons and stabbed one of the Hidans with the end of his pointed chakra. Hidan burst into a cloud of smoke.

"Asuma-sensei!" Kyoko called urgently when she saw Hidan leap behind him with his scythe.

Asuma whirled around and stopped the scythe abruptly with his two blades. He narrowed his eyes victoriously, but the feeling only lasted for a second before he felt a sting in his side. A kunai had whizzed by and cut him narrowly in the waist. That was enough for Hidan.

The real Hidan, who had been near Kyoko, caught the kunai in his hand and offered a grin. "Well, all right."

"No!" Kyoko shouted, flinging several needles from her hand to prevent Hidan from consuming the blood. However, her attempt was fruitless as he merely dodged out of the way, cleaning the red from his kunai with his tongue.

"I've got you now, bastard!" Hidan laughed as his body started to change color. He started for the forgotten circle he created moments ago. He plunged his scythe towards his stomach, excited for pain.

"STOP!" Kyoko ordered desperately.

And he did.

Kyoko stared at Hidan, confused. "…What…?"

Asuma shouted as the pain engulfed him. Hidan had managed to sink his scythe into his gut a bit, though not as much as he had intended. He was enraged.

"What the hell is this?!" Hidan demanded. "I can't move!"

"Kagemane no Jutsu: Success," came the voice of Nara Shikaku.

"What? When? How?" Now Kyoko was _really _confused.

"Looks like we came just in time," Shikaku said, glancing at his two companions, Inoichi and Chouza. "Asuma-san! You all right?"

"Yeah, just a scratch," Asuma answered.

"Don't let him go!" Kyoko warned, "If he steps into that circle, Asuma-sensei's done for!"

"Don't worry," Shikaku said, "We've got this all handled."

Hidan scowled. _Damn! This is pretty bad. _His eyes narrowed. "Can't it wait?" he said loudly. "I'm kinda busy, here!"

The Konoha shinobi exchanged odd glances.

"He's talking to himself?" Chouza guessed.

Suddenly, Shikaku felt the presence of a newcomer. He turned around then darted out of the way like a fly avoiding a fly swatter. "Damn it!"

"Ha, the jutsu's broken!" Hidan exclaimed, "Thanks, Kakuzu!"

"You're too reckless," Kakuzu frowned.

"Tch, whatever. Now we can finish these bastards!"

"Didn't you hear the leader? We've got to go. NOW," Kakuzu said.

"Yeah, but…" The look Kakuzu gave him made Hidan grimace. "_Fine_!" He turned to the group of Konoha nin and said, "Don't go anywhere. When I get back, I'm gonna finish you off. All of you." And with that, he and Kakuzu disappeared.

Seconds later, Shikamaru along with Izumo, Kotetsu, and the backup team of Ino, Chouji, Aoba, and Raido came running towards everyone.

"There you are," Inoichi remarked.

"He got away from us," Izumo said with frustration. "We tried to stop him—"

"Its fine," Asuma said, "They're gone now. They retreated." He grimaced as a jolt of pain shot through him.

"Asuma-sensei!" Ino exclaimed, rushing over. "You're wounded! Hold still!"

"It's not serious, is it?" Chouji asked worriedly.

"No, it's not," Ino replied, "It could have been, though. If the cut was any deeper…" She hastily cut herself off and decided to quietly heal the wound instead.

"How did you get here so quickly?" Kotetsu asked the backup squad. "We sent a distress call not too long ago. There's no way you could've gotten here in time."

"Hokage-sama had already dispatched this team a while after you guys left," Inoichi said. "It's a good thing, too. The three of us would've been sent off on another mission if it was any later," he said, jabbing a thumb towards Chouza and Shikaku.

"Did she doubt our ability on the mission?" Izumo asked, a bit distraught.

"She said she had some inside information," Chouza shrugged.

Kyoko tensed, though only Shikamaru noticed.

"Hey, what's up?" Shikamaru asked her.

"Uh, nothing," Kyoko said lamely. She tried to ignore Shikamaru, but he wasn't going to change his interrogative stare. Before long, with a protesting groan, she pulled him aside from the group and started to explain. "The reason why I wanted to be apart of this team was because…I knew Asuma-sensei was going to die."

"What?"

"Hidan was going to kill him, and I didn't want that to happen, so…"

"Why didn't you say something before?" Shikamaru questioned. The forcefulness of his voice caught her off guard for a moment.

"Because I thought I could handle it…" Kyoko admitted. "But just now…He _was _almost killed. If it weren't for your dad showing up…" she trailed off.

Silence.

"Well, I'm not going to let that happen," Shikamaru said seriously. "None of my comrades are going to die on my watch."

Kyoko watched him thoughtfully and smiled. "I don't doubt it," she murmured.

"And another thing," Shikamaru said, "If there's anything..._anything_ this important that you want to keep a secret…Don't."

"Right."

-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-

Nami grumbled incoherently as she stomped towards the apartment. The time was 4 PM, and her second day on the job had come to an end. Not only did Yousai have her straighten out his cave (_who _straightened out a _cave_?), she had to run around and buy him supplies from the village, groom his cat, and much, _much _more. Her most demeaning and disturbing was, to her misfortune, giving the old man a sponge bath. Oh, the pain.

After going through the horror, Nami didn't want to deal with anything else. The first thing she wanted to do when she got home was to take a _long _shower and take a _long _nap in the quiet of her apartment. Of course, she never got what she wanted.

"This is the BEST couch in the history of couches!" Hidari exclaimed as he and Migite balanced themselves on the opposite sides of the couch, making the seat thump up and down like a seesaw.

"Don't stand on the couch, guys!" Midori scolded.

"When was the last time you cleaned out this thing?" Tegoshi said with distaste, peering into the refrigerator. "What is THAT?"

"What are the sleeping arrangements?" Kentai questioned.

Shizuka tugged on Kenage's sleeve.

"Huh? Oh! Looks like someone's here, Midori," Kenage remarked, being the first to notice Nami.

Midori turned her back to the hyper boys and smiled uncertainly. "There you are, Nami! I came back to Konoha earlier today! I uh…brought company!"

"Company?" Nami repeated tiredly. "From your mission?"

"Yeah! Actually, they're relatives and they kind of have to…live here for a while. Until they get their own place," Midori said quickly.

"Whatever," Nami said, trudging past the large group and into her room.

"She seems nice," Kenage remarked.

"She took it a lot better than I thought she would…" Midori muttered.

* * *

Sorry the battle sucked so much. The chapter was so short before (even WITH the little scene-change to Konoha), so I had to find some way to make it much longer than it had to be...in one chapter. (dies) I really hate Hidan and Kakuzu's fight style. I read the manga chapters three times through and all I could really get out of their styles was that Hidan swung his crazy scythe around until he hit someone, then stood there to stab himself and Kakuzu stands around and lets loose those black...strand...thingies...

TO AIZOANIME WATCHERS: I have to immediately take a break after updating, so when I get back online (sometime today) there will be many updates, I promise! (So stop by if you get the chance, please!)

Sionara!

-HM


	30. Spare Time

Hello everyone! You might've known that my mom decided that I should only go on the computer on weekends, so I really didn't have a lot of time to do all the things I usually do. I don't think this rule's gonna last very long, but two weeks of testing torture will begin tomorrow, so I'm not sure if I'll be able to update next week or not. We'll have to see.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

"Shikamaru and the others are going to go track down Hidan and Kakuzu now!" Kyoko called as she reached for the front doorknob. "Hurry up!"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming!" Nami shouted, appearing from the hallway.

Kyoko was about to open the door when it slammed into her face.

"AUGH!"

"We're home," Midori announced.

Kyoko crawled out from behind the door painfully.

"Oh, hi, Kyoko."

"No time for small talk, we've gotta go!" Nami said quickly, trying to get past the mass of the bag-carrying Hikari Clan. "Move!"

"Make us," Tegoshi challenged.

"Say that again, small fry!" Nami shouted.

"Where are you two going?" Midori asked suspiciously, ignoring Tegoshi and Nami's argumentation.

"We're going to help Shikamaru with Hidan and Kakuzu!" Kyoko declared.

Midori raised an eyebrow. "Why? They'll do fine on their own, so you don't need to get involved."

"But…We _want _to get involved!" Kyoko whined childishly.

Midori rolled her eyes. "No. Besides, I've been thinking." She walked inside the apartment and started unpacking the food alongside the others who had already started while she was talking. "I don't think that we can actually help unless we train a bit more."

"What do you mean? We're awesome! We've got mad skillz!" Kyoko said, "We don't need to train anymore!"

"What do you mean 'anymore'?" Midori sighed. "We haven't been training much at all since we got here, and we can't expect to be of any help to everyone if we don't hone our 'mad skillz'. We're not much help at all, if you haven't noticed."

"Way to be pessimistic," Kyoko pouted.

"All I'm saying is that we should take some time out of our _busy _lives to practice and get better," Midori said. "Even the info cards can't help us get good overnight. So skip the mission."

"No."

"Yes."

"No!"

"Yes!"

"No, I'm going!" Kyoko shouted, turning on her heel and stomping towards the door. She would've made it through the door, too, if it hadn't been for Kentai barring her way.

"It would be best to do as Midori says and ignore a mission where you aren't needed," he advised, stonily looming over Kyoko and making her feel smaller and smaller every second.

"O-Okay," Kyoko squeaked, scurrying away from him.

"Thank you, Kentai," Midori said, pleased.

"I guess I'll just _train _then," Kyoko grumbled.

"Hold on," Midori ordered, grabbing Kyoko's arm.

"What?"

"Backpack."

Kyoko sighed, tossed her backpack to the floor, and left, passing the still arguing Nami and Tegoshi. What were they arguing about? The world may never know.

"Talk to the hand!" Nami said, holding up her hand and walking away.

"Yeah, real mature," Tegoshi fumed. He turned to Midori and said, "I can't bear living with that dog. She's gotta go."

"Who's a dog?!" Nami demanded. "I was here before you! If anyone's leaving, it's you!"

"Looks like a feud, Migite," Hidari said, hopping from the couch.

"I believe you are correct, Hidari," Migite agreed. "I'm voting for the chick."

"No way," Hidari shook his head, "No one can withstand the annoyance that is Tegoshi."

Midori slowly inched away from the little group, not wanting to be apart of this at all. "Um…Kentai…When do you think you guys will find a place of your own?"

"I'm working on it," Kentai answered, opening the door. He raised an eyebrow when he saw Neji standing on the other side with his fist raised to knock the door.

"You're the Hyuuga," Kentai obseatrved.

"Right," Neji said, uncertain of how to take Kentai's comment. "I have a message for Midori." His straight face distorted into disturbance as Migite and Hidari popped out from behind Kentai, obviously standing on the tips of their toes to peer over his shoulders.

"Do you have an appointment?" Hidari asked.

"I wasn't aware that seeing her required an appointment," Neji said sarcastically.

"Well it does, so you'll have to leave now," Hidari said.

"Yes, and she'll be booked solid until…" Migite paused as if to recall the imaginary date. "...Until she's married."

Neji's hand jolted for a second as he resisted the urge to strangle the brothers for the umpteenth time.

"Good day," Hidari and Migite waved in unison.

"Stop fooling around," Midori ordered, squeezing past the three young men and stepping outside. "Sorry about…_them_." She glared at the brothers, who whistled innocently. Midori shut the door behind her and turned back to the Hyuuga genius. "So what do you need?"

"Hokage-sama wanted to see you," Neji answered. "She didn't specify about what."

"Oh," Midori said, hoping Neji didn't catch the slight disappointment in her voice. Knowing Neji, he probably did. "Well, I guess I should get going then." She offered a small smile and ran off.

Behind the door, Nami had had enough of the uptight Tegoshi. It was so easy to set him off; every remark she made seemed to make him steam. However, it was only a matter of time until she got bored with him, so she decided she would take Midori's advice and train.

"Hey, you don't just walk away after calling someone 'yellow-bellied asshole'!" Tegoshi shouted. He stopped for a second, though about what he had just said, then slapped his forehead. _I sounded…so stupid just now…_ "Hey!"

"_What_?" Nami questioned. "Make it quick, small fry. I've got training to do."

Tegoshi's mouth twitched. _I'd like to kick this girl around and knock some sense into her. But then there's that whole unwritten law that guys can't hit girls. Aw, screw the unwritten law. I'm a ninja. _Tegoshi opened his mouth to give Nami a piece of his mind, but then he realized she wasn't there. "What the—Where…?"

"She left about three seconds after you began your inner monologue," Kentai informed, shifting through the grocery bags.

-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-

"Come in," Tsunade said, not looking up from her paperwork.

Midori walked into the room and said, "You wanted to see me, Tsunade-sama?"

"Yes. I'd like a bit of information from you," Tsunade explained, "How will the mission to eliminate Hidan and Kakuzu go?"

"Honestly…I'm not really sure," Midori answered.

"What?"

"Well…Asuma-sensei was supposed to kick the bucket on the last mission," Midori explained carefully, "And then a second mission—this mission—was supposed to be a success with the help of Team 7. But now, it's hard to tell. It depends on who was sent and how they go on with the mission."

Tsunade frowned. "I wish one of you told me that before I approved the mission."

"I'm sure there's nothing to worry about, Tsunade-sama," Midori said quickly. "There's a great chance that the mission will be a success."

"Right. Well, that will be all."

Midori hoped she was right. There was no telling how it would really go, but perhaps Tsunade would send Team 7 after Shikamaru and Asuma after hearing what she had to say. Tsunade was smart; she'd know how to handle the situation, probably better than Midori could imagine. She realized that someday, Konoha wouldn't require the inside information that she and her friends possessed. After all, who wanted to live a life without surprises? When that day came, they would be sent back to their own world. _We've got to become more useful, _she thought. _We've got to make our time here count. Until the day we leave…again. _

-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-

Hidari and Migite realized Midori was gone a few minutes after Neji left. Of course, they jumped to conclusions right away.

"That cold, perverted pretty boy kidnapped Midori-chan!" Hidari gasped, slapping his cheeks. "I knew he was bad!"

"We must save her from his tainted clutches!" Migite declared.

"Grab some sweaters, it'll get cold later," Kentai said, facing the stove.

The two brothers obeyed the older man and sprinted off. "ONWARD!"

"Do you really think that Neji guy kidnapped Midori?" Kenage asked, scanning the cards in his hand.

"No, but it's best to keep them busy," Kentai said as he dropped something into the boiling pot like a professional chef.

"Oh."

Shizuka glanced at Kenage then placed her cards face-up on the table. A royal flush.

"What the—How'd you manage to win _again_, Shizuka?" Kenage asked, bamboozled. "It's a good thing I don't bet…"

Shizuka shrugged.

-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-

Kyoko landed on the ground heavily as weapons fell around her. She was in an old training area with red and white targets and ragged dummies lined all around a grassy clearing. Her arms throbbed from constant use, and she couldn't stop thinking of how alone she was. Why didn't she ask Nami to come with her? Or even one of Midori's thousand relatives crowding their apartment? Kyoko plopped onto the ground and groaned forlornly. "I'm so LONELY," she wailed.

"Tsk, tsk," someone said, "Taking a break?"

"Marieke-sensei!" Kyoko exclaimed.

Marieke bent down and said, "How come you never worked this hard when I trained you?"

Kyoko smiled sheepishly. "Eh…"

"I'm not sure what you're trying to do here, but…" Marieke said, looking around the training grounds, "how about I help you out a little bit?"

"Really?" Kyoko asked, surprised.

"Why is this so surprising?" Marieke questioned.

"Uh…because…you used to train Nami a lot…" Kyoko trailed off.

"I don't have favorites!" Marieke declared. "And between you and me," she winked, "I only trained Nami a bit more because she needed the help."

"Aw," Kyoko said then crossed her arms. "You're lying, aren't you?"

"_Am_ I?"

-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-

"Achoo!" Nami sneezed.

"Looks like someone's talking about you," Satoshi remarked. He had been relaxing in a tree in the woods when he noticed her passing by. Being the 'gentleman' he was, he greeted her and asked her business. Seeing an opportunity to mess around with the one he deemed the "Feisty One" of Team 12, he offered to help train her speed and jutsu. Of course, she refused, but after throwing in a few insults, it wasn't hard to get her fired up about kicking his ass. Or, at least, try to.

"Probably that creep, Tegoshi," Nami murmured, throwing a strong punch at Satoshi.

The boy stepped to the side easily to avoid the attack and said, "Who's Tegoshi?"

"Some dude that's related to Midori, apparently," Nami explained, blocking Satoshi's kick. "There's a whole band of them living with us now."

"And I thought you wouldn't stand living with guys," Satoshi smirked. "Wow, Nami, I've never seen this side of you before."

"Shut up," Nami growled, turning pink. However, she connected her fist to his face before he could notice. "It's probably better than having to live with someone like...oh, say…YOU."

Satoshi moved his jaw around a bit, deduced it wasn't broken, and stood back up. "That's hurts, Nami. That hurts _deep_."

"Why'd I agree to train with you?" Nami muttered, shaking her head.

"Cuz I'm awesome," Satoshi replied.

"Yeah, that's why." Nami rolled her eyes. She sighed and sat down on a conveniently-placed log. Staring up at the sky, she couldn't help but think about a certain Uchiha. If it wasn't time for them to bring him back, when would it be? Midori and Kyoko hadn't that at all, and it seemed like they were just using that as an excuse to keep Sasuke out of Konoha. But he was the reason for everyone's constant determination, especially Naruto's. It would be a _good _thing to bring him back, just to end the recurring depression. Everybody would be _happy_, wouldn't they? And who cared if things didn't go as Masashi Kishimoto had planned? It wasn't just a story that followed a certain plotline to everyone here; it was real life. Things changed, right?

Satoshi eyed Nami inquiringly. He wondered what she was thinking about, and he always spoke his mind. "What're you zoning out for?" he asked bluntly.

"Stuff," Nami answered.

"I could've guessed that," Satoshi said. He paused. "You thinkin' about Uchiha?"

Nami turned red. "What're you, a mind-reader?"

"Yes."

"No, really, how'd you know?"

"Well…" Satoshi said slowly. "Kyoko told me some stuff when we were doing those D-Ranks."

"What kind of stuff?" Nami asked, trying to sound as disinterested as possible.

"Weeeell…"

_**FLASHBACK**_

"_**I hate this," Kyoko grumbled. "I hate this a lot."**_

"_**It's not that bad. Easy work," Satoshi shrugged.**_

"_**It's not that," Kyoko said, "And yes, yes it **_**is **_**hard work," she added. "It's just…I'd rather train instead of doing this crap. My teammates and I have a goal, and kid-missions like this won't help anything."**_

"_**What goal?"**_

"_**You know Naruto and Sakura…They want to bring Sasuke back, and so do we."**_

"_**Why? Was he close to you guys or something?" Satoshi said doubtfully. "What's with all this determination for one guy, and an asshole at that?"**_

"_**I don't know, actually…" Kyoko admitted, "I guess Midori and I want it because…Nami wants it."**_

"_**She does?" Satoshi said, surprised.**_

"_**Yeah. She probably wouldn't admit it to you or anything," Kyoko said, "But I think whenever he's on her mind, she sort of changes. Like she isn't herself. I don't know how to explain it, but you'd know what I mean if you saw her expression when she thinks about him."**_

_**FLASHBACK**_

"Are you serious?" Nami frowned.

"Yup."

_Damn it, Kyoko… _Nami thought. _What's she thinking, telling a guy like _this _something like _that_?! Idiot!_

"Anyway, I think I know what she means now," Satoshi grinned. "You're less homely when you make that thoughtful face.."

"What do you mean 'homely', jackass?!" Nami roared.

"I-I mean, you're more attractive—"

"'MORE attractive'?!"

THWACK.

"Heheheh…that hurts…heheh…Oooww…"

-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-

Hidari and Migite searched high and low throughout the village searching for either Neji or Midori. They soon came across Neji, and it was a good thing, too, because the civilians seemed to be ready to run them out of the village.

"YOU!" Hidari and Migite hollered.

Neji cringed. He knew those voices. The Hyuuga turned around slowly and said regrettably, "What?" He raised an eyebrow when he saw the brothers running up to him sporting fake mustaches.

"What have you done with Midori-chan?" Migite interrogated as Hidari shined a flashlight above Neji.

"Get that thing out of my face," Neji ordered, smacking the flashlight away. "And what are you babbling about?"

"We know what we want to know, and we know you know what we want to know, so tell us what we want to know because you know or you don't know _what_ we'll do to you," Migite said.

It took even someone like Neji to process that information. "I don't know what you're talking about," he said finally.

"Oh-ho," Migite said, twirling his mustache. "Is that so, Hyuuga-san?"

"Must I repeat myself?"

"We _know _you kidnapped Midori to do unspeakable things to her!" Hidari said, "So confess! Where is she?"

"_What_?" Neji said, offended.

"We can see through your bad acting!"

"Listen here," Neji said, grabbing the two by their shirts. "I. Did. No. Such. Thing."

"Threatening the detectives with force is very suspicious," Hidari said.

A vein throbbed on Neji's forehead. "I'll show you force…"

Hidari gasped. "Brother! He's going to beat us up!"

"Quick, brother! Attack Pattern Six!" Migite exclaimed.

And they spat in Neji's face.

Neji cursed loudly and released the two teens that immediately took off.

"VIC-TOR-EEEEEEEE!"

"I'll kill those two," he growled murderously.

"Kill who, Neji?" someone asked.

"Midori," Neji whirled around and said, "Where have you been?"

"Well…I just saw Tsunade-sama…And then I bought a few things from the market that I forgot earlier…And stopped by the library," Midori answered. Sure enough, she had a bulky bag in one arm and a stack of books in the other. "So uh…what are you doing? And…why do you have water on your face?"

"…Right, water," Neji wiped the saliva off with his sleeve and said, "It's not important." He knew that if someone spoke badly of Hinata, he'd personally teach them a lesson. If _he_ verbally trashed Midori's 'cousins', she might not think so well of him either.

"Are you sure?" Midori asked. "Because it looks important…"

"Would you like any help with those?" Neji quickly changed the subject.

"Oh, sure, if you don't mind," Midori said with a smile.

"I wouldn't have asked if I minded," Neji pointed out, taking her stack of books. He was relieved. Now he wouldn't have to talk about or even _see_ those Kousen miscreants. He didn't mind them as long as they were far, _far _away from him.

"Ah, Midori-chan, there you are!"

"We were looking for you!"

Midori blinked. "Really? What for?"

"Uh…" Hidari and Migite looked at Neji, then at each other. "We missed you!"

"Oh…well, thanks…"

The look on Neji's face would've suggested he was thinking something along the lines of: "where the hell did _they _pop out from?!" He didn't (or couldn't) say anything though, because Hidari snatched the pile of books from Neji's hands and said, "Don't trouble yourself, Hyuuga-san! We're all going home, so you don't need to escort Midori! We'll gladly take over!"

Neji's right eyebrow twitched. "Very well." He turned briskly on his foot and sauntered off before Midori could call him back.

Midori groaned and slapped her forehead dejectedly.

"He sure twitches a lot around us," Hidari said obliviously.

"Yes, he should really have that checked," Migite agreed. "Well, we should be getting back home now, right, Midori-chan?"

"Yeah…" Midori murmured. Then after a second of thought, she said, "Guys, can you…I don't know, _not _mess with Neji? He's not really the type to…"

"Have _fun_?" the brothers interrupted.

"Well um…Just don't provoke him, okay?" Midori said lamely.

"If that's what you want," Migite sighed.

"We'll try," Hidari said.

"That's all I ask," Midori smiled. _Why do I feel like they're not going to keep their word? _"Let's go home."

* * *

Man, this was so fun to write. It was filler-ish, but there was a lot of character interaction, which is what I live for. (grin) I hope no one's very disappointed with skipping the second Hidan and Kakuzu battle, but I want the story to go another way, so stay tuned. Anyway, better get back to work!

TO AIZOANIME WATCHERS: No promises here, but I'll try to get some stuff up tonight. Like I said, school will be keeping me away from the computer for a while...I'll do my best!

Thanks for reading!

-HM


	31. Asuma

Well, not much to say here except thanks for reviews!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

It was just a few hours after daybreak. Midori was in the hospital helping Shizune treat the shinobi who had just gotten back from an A-Ranked mission. She removed her hand from a man's arm and said, "All done. You should be okay now, sir."

"Thank you, Midori-san," the man said, rotating his arm.

"My pleasure," Midori answered, "Take it easy this week."

"Can do."

The sound of running footsteps sounded outside the room accompanied by the shouts of Shizune. "Hurry!" Shizune ordered. Her heels clicked against the floor like a metronome as she rushed alongside two other medical nin who carried a stretcher. On the stretcher was a white cloth with a bulge that was most likely to be a body.

"Shizune-sensei!" Midori called, following the older woman. "What's happened?"

"Midori, I can't talk right now," Shizune said sharply. "Go back out and take care of the others!" She rounded a corner and opened the door to one of the main emergency rooms.

Midori stopped and stared up at the glowing, red light above the door that had just turned on. She tore her gaze away after a second and ran back down the hallway to await the newcomers' arrival. Soon, she was met by a pair of men in the white medic uniforms.

"Midori-san, Sarutobi Asuma-san has been hospitalized in Room 304," one informed her.

"Asuma?" Midori's eyes widened. Not waiting for the rest of the report, she tore off at a faster pace and threw open the door to Room 304. Sure enough, Asuma was lying on a bed, barely conscious. A group of medics were crowded around him, speaking in quiet whispers. One of them noticed Midori and stepped aside to let her through.

"We've examined him," the medic said, "and there are several vital points where he's been wounded. We've stopped the bleeding temporarily."

"Then we'd better work quickly," Midori said, rubbing her hands together.

-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-

Kyoko was sitting at Ichiraku Ramen for an early breakfast before training. They'd been polishing their skills, intent on proving to Midori how strong they could really be. Of course, they missed the thrill of missions, especially Nami, who had been disappearing and reappearing from time to time for some reason. Kyoko tried to get information out of her every chance she got, but Nami's lips were sealed. She finally came to the conclusion that Nami was seeing someone secretly, and she didn't want anyone to know about it. That was invitation enough for Kyoko to start snooping. After she paid the owner for the ramen, she hopped off her seat and started Operation: Follow Nami Around and Catch Her in the Act of Confessing Her Love to a Mystery Man.

…

_Maybe I should think up a different name, _Kyoko thought.

Little did Kyoko know, Nami was _actually _sneaking off to work for Yousai. She got an extra day added onto her punishment after she skipped out on working for him the time she was training with Satoshi, and she wasn't about to make that same mistake again. She never told Midori or Kyoko about the deal; blackmail was the last thing she needed. Working for the old man was humiliating enough without people knowing about it.

Right now, she was gathering firewood for the cold night that lay ahead. Once she got back to Yousai's home, she dropped the wood on the stone floor and crossed her arms, awaiting her next order.

"Back already?" Yousai said. "Well, how about you get the Konohagakure News for me, then?" He tossed some change into her hands. "Then you can give me the usual foot-massage when you return."

"Are you _trying _to kill me?"

"I don't want any lip from you, lass," Yousai said. "And pick up some cream while you're at it. My bunions are murder."

Nami twitched. "Yes, _sir_." Three more weeks, she kept telling herself. Three weeks.

Yousai smiled secretly as she left. Seeing the girl was definitely some fresh entertainment every day. After all, one tends to get lonely once in a while, being a hermit.

When bought the newspaper, she was too busy mumbling to herself to notice Kyoko skulking around behind her like a secret agent. Kyoko got a few odd stares from civilians, but she didn't let that bother her. Nami was her target, and she was noting everything her teammate did.

_She's buying a newspaper, _Kyoko thought. _Suspicious. _

Nami walked into a general store.

_She's going to a general store, _Kyoko thought. _Suspicious._

Kyoko darted through the door, accidentally setting off the bell that hung on the door to alert the cashier that there were customers. Panicking, she stumbled to the candy section and hid from view in case Nami were to turn around. She tip-toed across the aisle and peeked above the shelves at Nami. _She's buying foot cream. Suspi—ew…Why's she buying foot cream? _Kyoko thought. _Maybe her boyfriend has some sort of foot disease. Ew…_ She tried to think of anyone she knew who had a foot condition, but she couldn't. After all, everyone shinobi she knew wore the traditional open-toed ninja shoes, and she was pretty sure none of them had anything wrong with their feet.

The jingling sound of the bell brought her back to the present. Kyoko turned her attention back to Nami, whose heel was just out the door. Kyoko quickly followed after her, staying a constant six feet behind. However, it wasn't long before Nami's ninja senses tingled and she realized Kyoko was following her. Every time she turned, Kyoko would dart behind a pole or passerby, which amused Nami quite a bit. She decided to humor Kyoko, at least until she was a little closer to the forest.

-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-

Asuma's condition stabilized once Midori and the medics were finished with him. He had been sleeping for a while, and Midori had left the room long ago. She met up with Naruto, Sakura, and Sai, who explained to her that Tsunade sent them after Asuma's group to help out.

"What happened?" Midori questioned when she saw Naruto and Sakura's grave expressions. "Was the mission a failure?"

"No," Sakura shook her head. "The mission was a success…Both Akatsuki members are dead, but…" she trailed off.

"Where's Shikamaru?" Midori realized the lazy genius wasn't with them.

"Didn't you see him?" Naruto asked. "He was taken in by the medics before everyone else."

Remembrance flashed through Midori's mind as she pictured the body underneath the blanket to be Shikamaru.

"He was fatally wounded," Sakura explained. "I'm not sure what happened. He and Asuma went against the guy with the scythe after separating the two; that's all I know."

Midori pressed her hand to her mouth in anxiously. _Shikamaru…_ "I'll be right back," Midori said, turning around and walking towards Asuma's room. She opened the door to see Kurenai sitting at Asuma's bedside. The two immediately stopped talking and looked at Midori.

"Oh—I'm sorry," Midori apologized. "I…didn't realize you were visiting, Kurenai-sensei. I should've knocked."

"It's all right," Kurenai said. "We're almost through."

"What did you need?" Asuma asked.

"It can wait," Midori said as she closed the door. "Sorry for interrupting." She leaned against the wall and sighed. At least she knew Asuma would be fine, which meant Kurenai didn't have to go through the terrible news of his death and her baby would have two parents to care for him or her. But the business with Shikamaru worried her. Midori hadn't been allowed to go into the emergency room, and Shizune still hadn't come back. _What could have happened to him? _Midori thought.

Kurenai came out of the hospital room and said with a small smile, "You can speak with him now."

Midori reentered the room and sat next to Asuma. "How are you feeling?" Midori asked.

"Unbelievably tired," Asuma answered. "You're an excellent medic."

"It's what I do," Midori smiled slightly. "I want to ask you something, if you don't mind."

"About what?"

"Shikamaru."

"…I see."

"I want to know what happened to him," Midori said, "I…didn't see anything when they took him in…But I'm worried about him. Will you tell me what happened?"

"It was strange…" Asuma murmured, "He seemed a lot more alert than usual…We had agreed on separating the two Akatsuki members. We had more shinobi on the one who had multiple hearts, and Shikamaru and I had the immortal one because Shikamaru had a plan. We confronted him, and when the battle commenced, he had my back the whole time. I…was careless. I fell into one of his traps, and Shikamaru…He threw himself in front of me. He took a fatal blow from that bastard's scythe, right before he was buried alive. He saved my life."

Midori blinked away hot tears. Watching the older man's sad expression along with his story brought her sadness. She could see his own eyes let loose a trickle of tears, which rolled down his cheeks without disturbance.

"I'm praying," Asuma continued slowly, "That Shikamaru will pull through, even though he's the type to take death gracefully. I want him to live. I want him to want to live. He has so much potential...There's so much he hasn't done." He coughed abruptly.

"That's enough," Midori whispered. "Don't talk anymore. Get some rest, Asuma-sensei. You'll be fine."

"It's not me I'm worried about," Asuma mumbled as he closed his eyes.

Midori left the room and walked towards Shikamaru's emergency room. She looked up at the light above the doors that was still glowing. She sat down on one of the benches placed against the white wall. And waited.

-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-

"What're you following me for?" Nami said after a while. She stopped and turned, scanning the area for any signs of Kyoko.

The jig was up. It was time for the direct approach. Kyoko popped out from behind a fruit cart and pointed at Nami, "What've you been hiding from me and Midori? I want to know!"

"Are you high or something?" Nami asked.

"I'm serious!" Kyoko exclaimed. "What is it? Who is he? Why'd you by foot cream?"

"Uh…" Nami's mind worked rapidly to think up an excuse. Luckily, Kyoko gave her one.

"You're seeing someone, aren't you? Someone with a foot condition!"

"Yeah," Nami nodded immediately. "You got it right on the mark. I admit it."

"I knew it! Tell me who it is!"

"You'll never know," Nami said, feigning coyness.

"I'll figure it out sooner or later," Kyoko said, "So you might as well tell me now, or I'll follow you around. _Everywhere_."

"You _are _high," Nami sighed. "Fine, I'll tell you." She couldn't have Kyoko following her around. Not only would that look extremely odd, but she'd find out about her mortifying work. So, she scanned her brain of every decent guy she knew. "It's uh…Shino."

"_Shino_?" Kyoko gaped. "_Aburame _Shino?"

"The one and only," Nami said.

"But…_Shino_? Shino would _never _go for you," Kyoko said, "You must be lying."

"How do _you _know what type of girl he goes for?" Nami huffed. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be going now."

"Then why do you have foot cream?! Shino doesn't have a foot condition!"

"He…does. It's his heel. See ya!" Nami darted off through the crowds and out of sight.

"…_Shino_…?" Kyoko shook her head in disbelief.

-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-

By the time the light switched off, Ino and Chouji had joined Midori in waiting for Shikamaru. Ino's hands were fumbling nervously with her hair and she bit her lip every so often. Chouji, who was on his fifth bag of chips, was eating furiously. The only sound until now was the crunching of chips between his teeth. Now, all three stood up, anxious.

Shizune was the only one who came out of the room, surprised to see the three of them.

"How is he?" Ino asked immediately.

"He's alive," Shizune answered with a smile. "But he won't be out of the hospital for quite some time…He'll need several check-ups…His wounds were quite deep."

Ino placed her hand over her heart and breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness."

"Can we see him?" Chouji asked.

"Not until later, unfortunately. He's completely knocked out," Shizune said.

"As long as he's okay, I can wait," the chubby boy smiled.

"Chouji, we've got to tell Asuma-sensei the news!" Ino exclaimed. "Thank you so much, Shizune-san! See you, Midori!" She grabbed Chouji's arm and pulled him away.

"Don't be so rough, Ino!"

"Shizune-sensei," Midori said, "You're amazing."

"Oh, no," Shizune said with a tired laugh, "I had a lot of help. The medical ninjutsu that was conducted in there required many people. Someday, you'll learn the jutsu."

"Will that day be…soon?" Midori asked timidly.

"You want to learn it now?" Shizune questioned. "It's a bit advanced…"

"I can learn!" Midori urged. "Shizune-sensei, I'm ready! I know you believe that gradual lessons are the best way to approach medical ninjutsu, but I want to take it up a notch. Please, teach me more."

"Midori, of course," Shizune smiled. "I can see how much you want this. We'll begin tomorrow, all right? I'd show you now, but that jutsu took a lot out of me."

"All right!" Midori exclaimed. "I-I mean—yes, sensei."

Shizune laughed when her pupil saluted her. "I'll see you tomorrow then."

When Midori got home, she opened the door to see her relatives bustling around with bags over their shoulders. She tilted her head in confusion. "What's going on?" she asked.

"Kentai found us a house," Kenage explained.

"You mean you're moving out?" Midori gasped.

"That's right!"

"Of course, we'll have to pay off the house by going on missions as Konoha shinobi," Tegoshi said. "We filled out the paperwork, but we still need to have a formal meeting with the Hokage. That means we might need to dip into your savings a bit, if you don't mind."

"Uh…I'll chip in as much as I can," Midori said uncomfortably.

"I'll count on you."

"Midori-chan!" Hidari and Migite chimed as they threw their arms around her in a two-way hug. "If anyone ever sneaks into your room," Hidari started, "Especially that Hyuuga guy," Migite continued, "Then you know who to call!" the two finished.

"Sure, okay."

"Take care of yourself," Kentai said.

"Say goodbye to Nami and Kyoko for us," Kenage said.

Shizuka waved.

As the Hikari members marched out of the apartment single-file, Midori waved. The living room had an empty feeling to it now that the liveliness had disintegrated. Midori knew that deep down in her heart, she'd miss her 'family's' presence.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Hidari said as he poked his head through the doorway. "We'll be visiting! A lot! Bye!"

Or maybe not.

* * *

Haa...not much suspense here, eh? You guys probably knew I wasn't going to switch Asuma's death with Shikamaru's. Who could kill off Shikamaru? Definitely not me. Anyway, I hope to get everything I need to do on the computer done, because the computer-on-weekends rule is still in play and I wasn't able to get online much yesterday. (frown) Ah well.

Thanks for reading!

-HM


	32. Alternative

I know what you guys are thinking..."WHAT KIND OF SICK PERSON PROMISES TO UPDATE EARLY JUNE AND HAS THE NERVE TO UPDATE AT THE **BEGINNING OF AUGUST WTFUDGEBALL**??" My uh...deadlines are always usually a month/several months off...I feel so bad. I'M NOT SUPPOSED TO PULL THESE KINDS OF STUNTS UNTIL I'M FAMOUS. (That'll be the day)

I woke up one morning and was all, "OH SNAP. NARUTOVERSE!" I really hope all my readers will forgive me, that is, assuming I still HAVE readers. (Don't give up on this story because the author is a slow and lazy bum T.T) To make it up to you guys, I've decided to update four times after two days. Meaning, today is one update, then after tomorrow, another update and so on. No matter how many reviews I get (or lack there of) I'll keep my word.

In short, I'm horribly sorry for the long hiatus and I hope you guys continue reading! Thank you!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

Three. Two. One.

"She's late. Again." Yousai shook his head as he watched the cat prowl around the cave. "You'd think that girl would learn to get her on-time, eh, Shishi?"

The cat didn't reply, but merely circled one area near the opening of the cave several times then lay down for a nap.

"Lazy furball."

Just as Yousai started to stand from his sitting position, Nami ran into the cave, accidentally stepping on the tail of Shishi, who screeched.

"Oops. Sorry, cat," Nami threw over her shoulder.

"Late," Yousai said sternly.

"I know, I know," Nami muttered. "I was up all night deciding what to pack. It's kinda hard to choose when you don't tell me _where _it is I'm supposed to be going."

"Excuses, excuses," Yousai waved her off. "Listen carefully, because I'm only going to explain once. I'm moving."

"What?"

TOK.

"Ow!" Nami rubbed her forehead where Yousai had flicked her.

"Don't interrupt me," Yousai ordered. "Now, as I was saying, I'm relocating. I'm a traveling hermit, as you know, and it's about time I get moving. I've stayed here long enough."

"So…What does this have to do with me?" Nami said, fearing she already knew the answer.

"You're coming with me. Your punishment isn't quite over yet."

"What?!" Nami raged. "So you want me to go with you to some _other _stupid cave and come back when my punishment's over?!"

"I didn't say that," Yousai said. "You don't have to leave when the punishment's over. You're welcome to stay as my maid."

Nami clenched her teeth.

"Well, let's be off, shall we?" Yousai said, picking Shishi up from the ground and handing him to Nami. "Come along, girl."

"Go to hell," Nami grumbled under her breath as she reluctantly followed the older man.

-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-

"Where's Nami?" Kyoko demanded when she barged into the hospital's waiting room.

"Kyoko!" Midori hissed, rushing out from the hallway. "This is a _hospital_. So please, if you don't mind…_Shut UP._"

Kyoko frowned. "Sheesh, Midori. Chill out. I just wanna know where Nami is."

"Why?"  
"She _lied _to me!"

"…And….?"

"Shino said he wasn't aware of any relationship with Nami! He told me!" Kyoko declared.

"…And…?"

"Augh! Just tell me where Nami is!"

"I saw her packing some stuff last night," Midori said, "Maybe she's gone somewhere."

"What?! She went somewhere without telling us?!"

Midori shrugged. "Kyoko, I really don't have time right now. You'll just have to—" She didn't have to finish. Kyoko was already out the door.

"Stupid Nami," Kyoko grumbled. "What happened to being a team?" _Now I can't challenge her to a battle, _Kyoko thought. _I'm really aching for some action…_Then she got an idea. _Maybe I could get Tsunade-baa to give me a good mission! Yeah! _With that thought in mind, Kyoko quickly turned to the left, straight for the Hokage Mansion. Once she got past the two bored ninja standing outside on guard duty, she started for Tsunade's office. Her hand was inches from the doorknob when her ears caught the sound of people conversing on the other side. She pressed her ear to the door, trying to catch what was being said.

"Orochimaru is dead. And it seems Uchiha Sasuke was the one who killed him."

Kyoko's eyes widened. _…Al…Already?! Now?! _

"Eavesdropping?"

"Ma-Marieke-sensei!" Kyoko stuttered, jerking away from the door. "I—uh, uh…I…Yeah." Kyoko gave up. How the hell did Marieke sneak up on her like that _all the time_?

"Excuse me." The door opened to reveal an annoyed Tsunade. "May I ask what you're doing out here?"

"Nothing, Tsunade-sama," Marieke said. She suddenly grabbed Kyoko's ear, which made her pupil shriek in surprise. "It's just a sensei and her noisy pupil passing by on business. Forgive our interruption."

"Mm," Tsuande replied, closing the door.

"What do you think you're doing?" Marieke scolded once she and Kyoko had stepped outside. "A student reflects the teacher. You're fifteen now, so stop acting so foolish. Eavesdropping on the Hokage…! What did you want from her anyway?"

"I wanted a mission, but that doesn't matter right now!" Kyoko explained. "If Orochimaru's dead, then that means Sasuke's on the move!"

"What in the world are you talking about?"

"Sensei, we gotta help Naruto find Sasuke! It's complicated, but if we don't rehabilitate Sasuke soon, something bad will happen!"

"Haven't you learned by now not to mess with destiny?" Marieke said.

"What kind of talk is that?" Kyoko retorted. "Messing with destiny worked! Asuma is alive, and so is Shikamaru!"

"You don't know how near-death Shikamaru's situation was," Marieke said sharply. "One false move…One second later and he would've had a funeral. As your sensei, I'm telling you to stay away from what you can't handle. You're not a prophesied priestess or a sacred being, Kyoko. You're a teenage girl from a universe different from this one. Remember that. Sometimes you just have to let things fall into place."

"Not this time," Kyoko shook her head. "We've got to stop Sasuke at all costs. He doesn't know what he's doing."

"That's what we've been trying to do," Marieke sighed. "Fine, have it your way. I can't order you around anymore, I know. You're a chuunin…even _if _you achieved chuunin by cheating."

Kyoko averted her eyes.

"...Hm…Actually, that's given me an idea."

"What?"

"I'll respect that you…as well as Midori and Nami are true chuunin if you can past the Chuunin Exam."

"But it's already passed," Kyoko said, tilting her head. "And besides…Nami's not with us. She went somewhere."

Marieke raised an eyebrow. "I see. Well, she'll turn up, I'm sure. But the exam I'm talking about isn't the same exam you took when you were genin. How do you think Sakura managed to become chuunin without Naruto or Sasuke there to take the exam with her? There's a second test that you and Midori can take. Normally, it's a test for a single shinobi, but I think I'll let you two take it together."

-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-

Midori blinked. "_Other _Chuunin Exam? What's that?"

"I don't know, really," Kyoko admitted. "Marieke didn't tell me what there'd be but…If we really wanna be taken seriously here, we'd better prove we're chuunin. Otherwise, we probably won't be going on any missions concerning Sasuke anytime soon. You know how bad we screwed up before."

"I suppose you're right," Midori agreed. "So when do we take the exam? I want to prepare."

"That's now."

Midori and Kyoko looked towards the right to see Marieke who had appeared out of thin air. Their sensei waved a short greeting.

"_Now_?!" Midori exclaimed.

"That's right," Marieke said. "Kyoko said she wanted to start the exam as soon as possible. I asked if she wanted to decide with you, but she was certain you'd be all right with it."

Midori glared at Kyoko, who whistled innocently.

"Fine," Midori muttered. "Let's get it over with. What do we do sensei?"

"Like the original Chuunin Exams, there are three tests," Marieke explained. "I'll tell you now that the first test isn't a written one, rather, it has a resemblance to the Forest of Death. Follow me. Oh, but first, put these over your eyes." Marieke held out two white pieces of fabric.

-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-

"Where are we going?" Nami questioned tiredly. "How long until we get there?"

"We'll get there when we get there," Yousai answered with chagrin. "And would it kill you to pick up the pace a bit?"

"How about you carry some of _your _crap, old man?" Nami retorted, adjusting her hold on the heavy bag slung over her back.

"A youthful young'un like you can't carry something as light as this?" Yousai sighed. "All right, I'll give you a break." Yousai grabbed his baggage and lifted it from Nami's back with one hand. He glanced at Shishi and shook his head, "Honestly. Can you believe teenagers these days, Shishi?"

Shishi meowed.

_I hope there's an insane asylum I can drop you off at along the way, _Nami thought, rolling her eyes. _And why won't he tell me where we're going, anyway? What's so special about this place? _She looked around, trying to recognize the scenery.

"We've been walking through this barren place forever," she commented, "When's a town coming up?"

"Town? The place we're going isn't near any town," Yousai said as if it were obvious.

"What?!" Nami gaped. "You're nuts! Why the hell would you live in the middle of nowhere?"

"Because it's only a pit stop, girl," Yousai said. "Use the muscle between your ears we call a brain, will you? There's a halfway mark between here and our final destination, which is where we'll be staying for the night."

Nami narrowed her eyes. Talking to that old man was worse than trying to start conversation with Satoshi.

-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-

_Starting out with a "Forest of Death" exam? _Midori thought nervously. _It makes me wonder what the other exams could possibly be…_

"Here," Marieke said.

Kyoko untied her blindfold and blinked.

They had stopped in a place the two young kunoichi found unfamiliar. They were standing upon sloping, grassy ground with trees lining where the slope turned to level ground. A small creek trickled down the hill and continued towards the village. Here, they had a grand view of the entire village, including the main entrance gate.

_So we're not in the village anymore, _Kyoko thought. _But where exactly are we? _

"Listen carefully," Marieke said, getting the attention of her students, "In this exam, you need to get from Point A to Point B." She unrolled a scroll, revealing a map of the area. Her finger moved from their location to the endpoint which was several miles from the starting point.

_I don't recognize any of this terrain…_ Midori thought as her brow furrowed. "Um, sensei…"

"Hm?"

"Uh, never mind," Midori said. _I must be mistaken. I haven't really been around the outskirts of Fire Country anyway. _

"When you get close to the finish line, you'll see a bridge. Once you've crossed that bridge, you'll be in the clear. But be warned: like the Forest of Death, there'll be a few hurdles you'll have to leap. You'll be crossing dangerous territory. This is a timed exam; you get one day, no more, no less. The best of luck to you." Without another word, Marieke disappeared.

"Are you ready for this, Midori-chan?" Kyoko asked with a determined grin.

"Not really, but it can't be helped," Midori replied seconds before the teammates took off.

-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-

_You've got to be kidding me, _Nami thought as a single drop of sweat dripped down her cheek. _I must be paranoid. It can't be here. _"Hey, old man."

"What?"

"Is this really where we're staying?"

"There's one of my lodges right ahead, so I'm presuming 'yes'," Yousai said, rolling his eyes.

Nami glanced over her shoulder. She and Yousai had been walking alongside the edge of a steep cliff where a forest began. Below, however, there seemed to be a desert-like area with dusty stone columns that matched the cracked ground. Nami wasn't certain, but she could've sworn that that was the very same place where Sasuke had or would be retrieving the last member of "Team Hebi".

"What's with that dazed look?" Yousai's strong but elderly voice cut through her thoughts like a knife. "Come along, don't drag your feet, girl."

Nami gave another anxious look at the land below the ridge then followed the old man in silence. _Maybe he hasn't been here yet. Or maybe…maybe this isn't the same place. Yousai would've known if there was experimentation going on here, right? Why the hell would he have a lodge so near one of Orochimaru's hideouts, anyway? And even so…wouldn't Orochimaru just have someone so close killed? Of course. It's definitely not the same place. Definitely. _

Arguing with herself didn't do anything. Nami couldn't shake off the eerie feeling that something would happen…something that she had been waiting for.

* * *

Short, I know, but most of my chapters are, aren't they? (sigh) Anyway, just setting up for some crazy things in the future. If you're questioning my loophole with the whole alternative Chuunin Exam thing, it'll be explained later.

And for those interested in AizoAnime (which has also been on a terribly long hiatus due to...me again) we're working on a new site builder because the other doesn't PLEASE US. I'll be sure to post the new site as soon as we're done, I promise. (Though you probably know not to trust my promises anymore (sweatdrop).) There I go contradicting myself. I'll stop now.

Until next time...this week!

-HM


	33. The Wild

So far, so good, ne? School's coming up very soon...Busy, busy, busy. Not much time to talk, so let's just get to the chapter. :)

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

"A whole day, huh?" Kyoko said as she leapt off a tree with the likeness of a cat. "This exam is cake. It won't take more than a few hours."

"Don't get too confident," Midori warned. "If this is anything like the other Chuunin Exam, we'll have to be careful."

"You don't have to remind me, Midori-chan," Kyoko winked. Just as she finished her sentence, a kunai landed in front of her with a 'thump!' She jumped back instinctively and noticed an explosive tag fluttering as it burned.

Before the tag exploded, the girls jumped out of the way. Instantaneously, shuriken started shooting out from all directions, and Midori had no other choice but to ward off the weapons with a bright chakra barrier.

"It's an ambush!" Kyoko exclaimed.

"But where are the attackers?" Midori murmured, activating Meikakugan. She scanned each patch of the area surrounding them, but the shadows of the forest made it difficult for her to see much of anything. "Shoot."

"No worries; we'll just have to go on the offensive," Kyoko said with a sly smile. "Cover me." Kyoko kneeled down and speedily made several hand seals, disappearing in a puff of smoke. As the smoke cleared, Midori's arms lashed out, forcing the chakra barrier to jerk outwards and scattering the sharp stars.

"Heh…Looks like they're making a run for it." A man dressed all in black with a mask spoke through a wireless to his partner across the way, who was wearing identical attire.

"They're making it way too easy," the other agreed. "Ready to finish them off?"

"I sure am."

"Wha—! How did you—?!" The man was unable to finish, for he was too preoccupied with dodging Kyoko's relentless kunai.

"That's just a basic bunshin with Midori-chan; it isn't real," Kyoko said as her hands released more knives. "But this is taking up too much time, so I think I'll end this…now!" Suddenly, her fingers twitched, as if something was connected to each one. There was.

Long strands of twine that were tied onto the kunai she had aimed with care were also fastened around her fingers. The man froze, noticing the taut strings that crossed just before his neck as well as his torso and legs. One yank from Kyoko's hands and he would be done for. He was sufficiently trapped in her web.

"H-Hey…" the man murmured into the wireless, trying to get the attention of his partner. All he could hear was static. "What the…?"

"I sent a companion to sniff around in case you had friends. He's probably taking care of him, as we speak."

-SCENE-SCENE-SCENES-CENE-SCENE-

"That was awfully quick," Midori said, turning her head as she continued running.

Kyoko appeared next to Midori, an average-sized grey wolf with a bandana tied around his neck. "Yeah, well, it was easier than I thought, especially with Ashi-chan's help."

"Don't call me 'Ashi-chan'," Ashi growled.

"What happened to you?" Kyoko pouted. "You used to be so cute."

"I'm way older now!"

"You're still a kid, it's been less than three years!"

As Kyoko and Ashi quarreled, Midori's mind wandered. The test shouldn't be so easy. Of course, they _did _acquire the skills of chuunin already so perhaps that was why the test didn't seem challenging. Or maybe it would become more difficult; it was only the beginning.

_But it still seems too easy, _Midori thought. _There's usually a catch…No, there's _always _a catch._

"Whoa."

Midori blinked. "What the…"

The group stood just above a magnificent waterfall that descended at least seven hundred feet. A cloud of foam crashed at very bottom where the water spilled into a large lake.

"The map says we keep moving forward…" Midori said, "But it doesn't say anything about a waterfall…"

"Well, whatever! If it says to move forward, we'll move forward," Kyoko said simply. She reached into her back pouch and pulled out a roll of tough cord. Walking over to the nearest tree, she started wrapping the cord tightly around the trunk. "All we have to do is tie this here and slide down real easy."

"Well, good luck with that," Ashi said before vanishing in a puff of smoke.

"Baby." Kyoko tied and retied the knot several times, then threw the remaining cord over the edge of the waterfall.

Midori watched it unravel like a ball of yarn. There was no way that would be long enough to reach the bottom, she knew, but there was a high possibility that the waterfall had a rock shelter or cave underneath the first shelf. If that was the case, they'd just be able to run the rest of the way with the help of good chakra control. At least this way, they'd be able to check.

"Do you want to go, or shall I?" Midori asked.

"I'll go," Kyoko said. "Just make sure the cord doesn't snap."

"Why do you say that? Have you gained some weight?" Midori joked.

"Ha, ha."

"Tug the cord twice if you've found a rock shelter, got it? Climb back up if there isn't one."

"Yeah, yeah. Here we go…Alley oop!" Kyoko exclaimed as she leapt off the edge, the cord held loosely in her hand.

The adrenaline rush was invigorating. Falling at such a speed, Kyoko felt as if she could conquer anything. She was like a child, going on her first roller coaster ride. But then she remembered where she was, and quickly tightened her grip, sliding to a stop. Her hands throbbed with heat slightly, but she didn't let that bother her. Now she was cascading off the surface of the waterfall getting wetter and wetter by the second.

She pulled out a kunai and blank seal. Holding onto the cord with her legs, she took both hands off and bit one thumb. After writing the kanji 'strength' in blood, she made a few hand seals and chanted, "Ninpou: Tsuyofukumi no Jutsu (Ninja Art: Strengthening Technique)."

Kyoko fastened the tag around the kunai then threw it in the direction opposite to the waterfall, chakra strings attached. She let it fly for several seconds then yanked it back towards the waterfall. The kunai, reinforced by the jutsu, was able to pass through the gushing water. As soon as she was sure it hit something, she tugged, testing its durability. Then with a quick breath, she dove into the waterfall with the cord, pulling herself in by the chakra strings.

When Kyoko finally reached land, she gave the cord a pull. The rocky overhang had created a cave as well as a clear wall downwards free from the raging waterfall. Once Midori got there, they'd be able to make their way down at their own safe pace without water pushing them along uncontrollably.

After several minutes, Midori burst through the waterfall. She wrung out her clothes as best she could and shook her head. "That was unpleasant," she remarked, attempting to catch her breath.

"These are the hardships of a shinobi," Kyoko recited with a chuckle. "Don't be such a priss, Midori!"

"You're awfully optimistic for a change," Midori said with a raised eyebrow.

"Only because I haven't had much action lately!" Kyoko said. "C'mon, let's go! We're still being timed, you know." She climbed over the edge of the cave and her feet instantly stuck to the sliding wall.

_More like you're trying to take your mind off of Gaara…_ Midori thought. It was plausible. Although it hadn't been all that long since the fracas in Suna, it must've felt like a millennium to Kyoko, who had anticipated seeing Gaara since the moment Marieke appeared in their world. Now, after such a short visit, it wasn't a surprise she wanted to see him again.

_We'll see if we can do something about that…_ she thought as she watched her bubbly friend run meters in front of her. _I mean, as soon as we're 'official' chuunin. _

When the girls were towards the bottom, they had no other choice but to get wet again. The waterfall sprayed them with misty drops as they walked atop the water as if it were solid ground. By the time they _did _reach solid ground, the girls were exhausted.

"We'll break for ten minutes," Midori breathed.

It was then a strange noise filled the air. Midori's first suspect was Kyoko's stomach.

"I'm _hungry_," Kyoko said, patting her stomach.

"I can see that…" Midori said. "I don't have anything to eat, do you?"

Kyoko searched her pockets. "No…Oh wait!" She opened her hand. "I have gum."

Midori slapped her forehead. "If you knew you were going to be hungry, you should've packed something. You know, we would've had more time to prepare if you didn't just jump into this alternate Chuunin Exam thing. So if you want food, you'll have to look for it, because I'm not—" She paused and placed a hand over her own growling stomach.

"You were saying, Midori-chan?" Kyoko said sweetly.

"…I was saying, we should extend our break time to look for food…" Midori said, her cheeks turning slightly pink.

"Aye-aye, captain," Kyoko saluted, standing up to search for sustenance.

Midori got up as well and called, "Don't get lost, got it? Come back to this spot in fifteen minutes!" She sighed as she watched her teammate disappear then started looking around herself. There were many trees around, but she reasoned that it wouldn't be too difficult to find _something _edible in the area.

After fifteen minutes of scouring, Midori came up with an array of plants that they'd be able to snack on while they walked. When she got back to the agreed spot, she found that Kyoko wasn't there.

"I hope she didn't get lost," Midori said to herself. However, some minutes later, Kyoko came bounding back.

"I found some mushrooms!" Kyoko announced, practically shoving them into Midori's face.

"AIE!" Midori screamed, stepping backwards and slapping the mushrooms out of Kyoko's hands.

"Geez, Midori…" Kyoko said, staring at her hyperventilating friend. "I didn't think you would be so picky…_I _can eat them, you know."

"Are you _blind_?" Midori frowned. "Didn't you see that ginormous _spider_ on it?!" She shuddered.

"I uh…didn't notice…" Kyoko said, rolling her eyes. "Midori, we're in the wild. Of course there'll be tons of things out here…_including _spiders. Relax. They won't hurt you or anything. How do you think you'll survive missions if you have to camp outside where spiders are?"

"Whatever, Kyoko," Midori said, "Let's just start moving. We can eat while we go."

"You still didn't answer the question," Kyoko teased.

"They won't be a problem as long as I don't _see _them," Midori said, annoyed. "I don't wanna see another spider here." She pushed part of a particularly large bush aside so she and Kyoko could get through then froze dead in her tracks.

"S-S-S-S—" she stuttered.

"What?" Kyoko said, looking over her shoulder. Her eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. "Oh snap."

"SPIDEEEEER! REALLY BIG SPIDER!" Midori shrieked.

It was true. The arachnid loomed in front of them on a web that seemed the size of half of Konoha. The spider itself was much larger than any Midori had ever seen; it was even bigger than the one Kidoumaru had summoned years ago. And back then, she recalled that Neji was the one who had protected her from it while she cowered beneath.

She took a break from screaming and turned to Kyoko and said, "I-Is there another way around it?" Midori tried not to stare at the huge thing, completely still on its web, but she was still able to see it out of the corner of her eyes.

"No…" Kyoko gulped. "We uh…have to go through it. Behind the web is the only way."

"O-Okay," Midori squeaked. She took a deep breath. "Okay, I can do this."

"Uh, I can kill it if you want," Kyoko said, though even she felt disturbed by the spider's size.

"No, no," Midori said. "Your way will definitely spray guts everywhere. I'll do this nice and clean. Besides…" She performed a chain of hand seals, then drew one arm back and held the other straight out in front of her. "It's…a really, _really _big target…" She narrowed her eyes in concentration, feeling the chakra surge through her hands for minutes. Then, she muttered, "Ninpou: Sokushiya (Ninja Art: Instant Death Arrow)."

Kyoko shut her eyes before the blast of light could blind her. She heard the spider cry out in an inscrutable language, and a she squinted through the bright light, she exclaimed, "Way to go, Midori! Got rid of the spider _and _web!"

Midori smiled, but only for a second. "Wait a second…" The next thing she knew, Midori found herself running alongside Kyoko through the forest, hands over head, screaming bloody murder.

"WHY DID IT EXPLODE INTO A MILLION MORE SPIDERS?!" Midori wailed. "THAT'S NOT EVEN POSSIBLE!"

"HOW THE HELL SHOULD I KNOW?! JUST KEEP RUNNING!" Kyoko hollered.

"EW, EW, EEEEWWWWWW!"

-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-

Nami had spent the time unpacking everything for Yousai while he went out to do who-knows-what. After she had completed that task, she went outside into the heat and sat, staring down at the area where she thought Sasuke and his team would gather. Shishi came by her side and batted her leg with his paw in a playful manner.

"Not now, cat," Nami said in a tired tone. Her expression was distant. Shishi seemed to get a clue and hopped away from Nami, suddenly curious with the grass at the edge of the cliff.

"Hey, be careful," Nami said. "Yousai said to stay away from the cliff." Nami stopped. "Augh!" she clutched her head. "Look what working with that old fart's done to me! I'm talking to a friggin' cat!"

"Meow…"

"Eh?" Nami walked over where Shishi was. "This cliff really _does _feel unstable…I should—" she gasped. The distance was far below, but there was no mistaking it; there were people down there. Three people.

"S-Sasgay?!" Nami exclaimed.

CRACK.

"REOW!" Shishi screeched as the cliff crumbled beneath him.

Soon, both Nami and Shishi were falling; falling at a deathly height, straight towards Team Hebi.

* * *

CLIFFHANGER!! (hides) Thanks for reading! Until next time!

-HM


	34. Nami's Determination

Since school starts in three days and I have an orientation in two days, my mom thinks its a good idea to have me go to sleep early. Like...earlier than usual. Which makes sense, since I stayed up pretty late yesterday...anyway, I almost forgot about this update. And now...my computer is lagging, so I'll just get to the chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

_I've gotta survive this, _Nami thought as she grabbed Shishi and covered him instinctively. _If I survive, I can get Sasgay to come back. But how…? _Her mind raced as her life flashed before her eyes. She didn't know any wind nature techniques. How in the world was she going to survive?

Nami closed her eyes. _I've gotta think…_

Wind whipped against her body, and she felt a desperate sensation. She couldn't die now. Not here. She _had _to live.

And suddenly…she stopped. She felt a pull on her stomach, and she let out a small "ugh!" She was upside-down now, staring down at Team Hebi who had started walking away. Nami glanced at her stomach to see something that looked like a plant's stem wrapped around her. Then it started to slowly pull her back up.

Once she reached the top, she saw Yousai knelt down with his hands in a seal. The old man stood up and looked at Nami worriedly. "Oh, are you all right, baby?"

"Uh…yeah…" Nami said awkwardly.

"Not you, dimwit. Shishi!" Yousai took Shishi from Nami and started stroking the cat's fur lovingly.

Nami sweatdropped.

"Stupid girl, can't I leave you alone for one moment?" Yousai demanded. "Even though I know a variety of techniques, I can't just use them to save your ass whenever you endanger yourself. When I say stay away from the cliff, I _mean _stay _away from the cliff_."

Nami grimaced and turned around. "Whatever." She stared down, noticing that she could see Team Hebi, almost as small as beetles from where she stood, and moving just as slow.

"Is that how kids these days show their gratitude to their saviors?" Yousai frowned.

"Why did you place your lodge next to one of Orochimaru's experimental sites?" Nami demanded suddenly.

"What?"

"Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about," Nami said sharply, "There's no way you don't know."

Yousai was quiet for a moment. "How much do you know about Orocihmaru?"

"I know that he was killed by his student, who's here _right now _to retrieve the last member of his team," Nami said.

"Is that so?" Yousai said gravely. "Well then…I guess its time to go."

"What? You just moved in! You wanna leave _now_?"

"I wouldn't have to if you weren't such a disloyal girl," Yousai said. "But since you are, we'll move."

"What does that have to do with _anything_? Look, old man, a friend of mine wants Orochimaru's student back in Konoha. He's _right there_. I can't just leave without try—"

"That's it," Yousai cut her off. "That's the reason. If you weren't so disloyal, I could just tell you to stay here for the time being and you wouldn't go running off into a dangerous place to get yourself killed over that person. Since it's _you_, that's something you'd _exactly _do. I'm not going to have it. So go pack up my things now, and we'll leave. I won't have anything to do with Orochimaru."

"Like hell I'm leaving," Nami said seriously. "Maybe you're right about the whole disloyal thing, cuz there's no way I'm leaving. I'm going to Orochimaru's hideout."

"How do you expect to get to the hideout anyway, girl? You don't know the way."

"I'll find it somehow."

"You'll get killed before you do," Yousai warned.

"I don't die that easily," Nami retorted. "You don't need to pretend to care, old man. You said you didn't want anything to do with Orochimaru, right? So don't come with me. You'd only hold me back, anyway."

"Wait—" Yousai exclaimed, but Nami was already running down the cliff, chakra gathering at the soles of her feet. Yousai grimaced. "Stupid girl…"

-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-

"Never clean…never clean…" Midori murmured distantly as she sloshed water over her arms over and over again. She and Kyoko had run until they grew tired again, which meant it was time for another break. They stopped at a more open field where there were more flowers than trees. A very small stream dribbled through the clearing, where Midori was trying to wash away the "spider germs".

"Now you've got _me _freaked out with spiders," Kyoko complained. She was lying on the ground, staring up at the sky. "Hey, Midori."

"Hm?"

"That technique you used on that spider…When did you learn that?" Kyoko asked.

"A while ago. I've had a lot of time on my hands, and training with my…relatives helps out a lot. Why?"

"I don't know. It seems too lethal to be one of your moves."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Midori frowned.

"Eh. Nothing."

"Well, whatever. Don't expect me to use it too often. It takes a lot of time to build up enough chakra, as you saw. It takes a large chunk out of me…I even have to draw chakra from the crystal to do the jutsu. It kinda sucks in a way. I'd only be able to use it accurately against something that's not moving." She laughed a bit.

"Are you doneyet?"

"Don't rush me! We have plenty of time!"

"Not so sure about that…" Kyoko sighed. "Hm…Midori?"

"What?"

"How long have we been out here?"

"I'd say we've been out here a little less than six hours," Midori answered. "Why?"

"Mm…Just curious."

Midori stared up at the bright, blue sky thoughtfully. _Hm…_ "Kyoko. Around what time does the sun set in this season?"

"Uh…around seven?"

"Strange…Although I don't think it's seven yet…the sky should've darkened, at least a little. But it looks the same as when we first started."

"Mm…I thought so too," Kyoko said, "But I wasn't really sure. What do you think it means?"

"I don't know," Midori said. "But I know I've never come across places like this around the village, and it didn't seem we were too far away, since it didn't take long to get here. Plus, the whole thing with the spider…There's no way a real spider could grow to that size without being manipulated, and I think Kidoumaru's spider would be the only one to be able to create so many spiders at once. There's something funny about this place, and—hey, are you even listening?!"

Kyoko, who had spaced out, blinked. "Uh, yeah. Continue."

Midori shook her head. "This is either some sort of controlled environment…or most likely, genjutsu."

As soon as she said that, the sound of glass shattering pierced the air. Kyoko and Midori simultaneously stared up at the sky, which seemed to be melting away along with the trees, grass, river; everything.

Kyoko suddenly found herself sitting on her knees, eyes glazed. She blinked then shook her head. "Okay…what just happened?" Kyoko noticed Midori sitting in the same position next to her, yawning.

"Congratulations," Marieke said. "You passed the first test." She looked over at Kurenai, who had dropped her hands to her sides. "Thank you very much for your assistance, Kurenai-sensei."

"It was my pleasure," Kurenai said.

"It took a while, but you finally realized it," Marieke said, crossing her arms.

"You mean figuring out the genjutsu was the first test?" Midori said, cocking her head.

"It was no ordinary genjutsu," Marieke said. "Nearly perfect hallucination, really. Chuunin must be able to recognize danger, genjutsu or not. I think it's a fitting first exam; it's the easiest one, anyway."

Midori and Kyoko exchanged nervous glances.

"But," Marieke continued. "The next exam won't be taken until tomorrow. Rest easy, girls! But not _too _easy. I'll be at your doorstep early in the morning!"

-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-

Yousai couldn't believe how thick-headed people were nowadays. He hadn't met that kind of person in quite a long time; people who walked their own path towards danger; people who were so focused and determined no matter what was thrown at them. _Then again, _he thought, _this generation seems to be full of those kind of people… _

Right now, he was trudging across the rocky terrain, an umbrella over his head. The blistering heat didn't do him any favors, but once in a while, a cool breeze would pass.

Shishi walked by his side, the ground disturbing his tired paws. What was master doing right now? Was he looking for that girl? Why? Shishi was just a cat, so how was he supposed to know?

But then Shishi spotted something that didn't seem it should be there. He was sure Yousai noticed as well, so he bounded forth a bit faster to check it out. It was a body lying on the ground. He was sure it was the girl. Shishi sniffed the thing's hand, one hundred percent sure now. Looking back at his master, who was walking casually toward them, he wondered what he was planning to do know.

"Oi," Yousai snapped, holding the\umbrella in a way that it would partly shade Nami. "You dead yet, girlie?"

A small grumble came from the face-down figure.

"Quit eating dirt and get up. Are you just going to lie there while your friend gets farther and farther away? Have you given up on him?"

Another grunt.

"A pretty stupid mistake, that was," Yousai continued. "Running out to your death without any food, water, _sense of direction_…"

"I'm just _resting_. What're you doing out here anyway, old man?" Nami growled, finally looking up from the ground.

"Ah, you're awake now. I'm here to quicken your progress," Yousai answered. "You're obviously not getting anywhere on your own, and I'm not going to let you use this as an excuse to neglect to pay off your debt to me."

"How're _you _supposed to help me?" Nami questioned doubtfully. "It's not like you know the location of the hideout."

"Now, that's where you're wrong," Yousai said with a sly smirk. "I know much more than you give this old man credit for."

"What?" Nami was sitting all the way up now. A curious expression was mixed with a hint of confusion.

"I'll tell you along the way," Yousai promised, "I'm sure that your friend has gotten very far, while you were slacking off."

Nami didn't retort, but nodded, which was a surprise to Yousai. They started walking for a while, and he could sense her impatience as he remained silent.

"So? Explain, old man," Nami urged. "How do you know Orochimaru's hideout?"

Yousai let out a sigh. "Would you believe that back in the day, I used to be one of Orochimaru's minions?"

Nami's mouth dropped open. "No way."

"It's true," Yousai said. "He was originally interested in my mastery as a blacksmith, but once he recruited me, he made me into one of his prime scientists in human experimentation. I worked at many labs…this was one of them."

"Why the hell would you work for a psycho like Orochimaru?"

"He seemed so brilliant to me, back then. But I realized after a few years of work and research, when one of the experiments actually went _right_, how ghastly the power he wanted to create was. I ran, and he didn't pursue me. Why would he? I didn't think to take the data with me." He paused. "Then I became a traveling hermit. It was a good life; I always steered clear of Orochimaru, except when I was feeling nostalgic and felt like coming as close as I dared."

"You don't have to worry about him anymore, though," Nami remarked.

"That's true. I heard that everyone who had been imprisoned by him have been breaking out. Is that your friend's doing?"

"…Yeah."

"I thought so. Now, let me warn you, this particular hideout has one prisoner that is more lethal than you could ever imagine…"

"I know."

"Hm," Yousai frowned. "All right then."

The two walked in silence for a while. Then, Yousai said, "Tell me one thing, girl. Do you really think you can get your friend to change his ways? Here and now?"

Nami didn't answer right away, and Yousai noticed her usual hard expression had changed. Something about her face seemed thoughtful, softer. "…No. I don't. He's too set on his life goal, and I don't believe that he'll go home if it's just me, but…I have to try anyway. It's sort of an obligation. Besides, there's always the chance that I'd be wrong about him. You can never know for sure."

_Well, well, _Yousai thought. _This predictable girl…has managed to surprise me. _

* * *

lol I wonder if Yousai's story was believable. (shrug) Anyway...nighty-night everyone!

-HM


	35. Second Encounter

Ehhh...looks like I sorta couldn't keep my promise after all. (ANGST) I was actually planning to change a few things before posting it along with the "quadruple-update" thing, but real life got the better of me. Then I forgot. (sweatdrop) I feel like an old person. Ah well...

If it weren't for my sudden yearn for writing fanfiction over my three-day weekend (I LOVE LABOR DAY!!) I probably would've...posted this later? I guess.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

"This is…unbelievable…" Yousai breathed. He and Nami stood before the result of a tremendous slaughter, it seemed. Bodies lay everywhere, but upon further inspection, Yousai concluded that none of them were dead...at least, not yet. They were merely unconscious. What kind of person left every single person alive during a force entry? Apparently a fellow Nami knew…

"He's been here already," Nami said, ignoring the bodies sprawled on the ground. "Quick, show me where Juugo is kept."

Yousai stopped in mid-step. "You just love looking for danger, don't you? I'm starting to regret letting you do this…Do you realize what Juugo _is_?"

"Yeah, but he's also the guy my friend's looking for," Nami said. "And we have to hurry up if we want to get there before he does."

"Looks like you're running the show now, girl," Yousai sighed. "But I have to say that even I don't know where his cell is."

"Then we'll just have to look for it on our own. Come on."

Yousai sighed as he followed the headstrong girl. He wouldn't admit it, but right now he was just about ready to collapse. His fatigue was slowly taking over him, and the only thing that was keeping him going was the curiosity of what Nami was planning to do. It took most of his energy just trying to keep up with the girl, so it wasn't a surprise when he didn't notice Shishi wasn't with them anymore.

The cat was actually wandering around the quiet hideout, having become bored with master and his female companion, Shishi had gone off on his own long ago. He hadn't encountered anyone interesting yet, but a door piqued his senses. Ear's twitching, he padded up to the door curiously. Inside, he could hear someone's voice.

"Boy…no girl…no…"

Suddenly, Shishi turned his head. He heard footsteps. A second later, two figures appeared, but they weren't master and the girl. They were a boy and girl, seemingly the same age as master's servant girl. Shishi moved into a cautious position, ready to run if the two were a threat.

"What's a cat doing in here?" the girl wondered. "I've never seen it here before."

"It doesn't matter," the boy said. "Just unlock the door."

The cat watched curiously as the girl pulled out a ring of keys and began inserting them into slots in the door. Shishi's ears perked up and his nose twitched. A chill ran down his spine as the girl declared she was through.

"Hold on," the boy told her when she reached for the door, "I'll go in, Karin. Stand back."

The two humans were in danger, it seemed. Common sense would've told Shishi to run the other way, but an enormous sensation of curiosity welled up inside him. Then again, as the saying goes…

Shishi darted through the boy's legs, surprising him, and peered inside the crack of the open door, hearing, "No…a guy…If it's a guy, I'll kill him…"

Shishi was suddenly staring up at a lone figure sitting on the ground with strange, black markings immersing his body.

"A…cat…?" The person stared at Shishi for a moment, as if to decide where Shishi was male or female. But then, his gaze rose to the boy who had opened the door. Then a wicked grin crossed his face and he sprung up psychotically. "HA! THE CAT DOESN'T COUNT! YOU'RE A DEAD MAN!"

-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-

Yousai frowned as he felt an eruption beneath his feet. _What on Earth is happening here?_

Nami abruptly ran in the direction where the pulsation had come from, which startled Yousai.

"Hey!" he called, clumsily running after her.

"Hurry up, old man!" Nami ordered, not taking the time to look over her shoulder. "Damn it, which way is it?!" She turned a corner, disappearing from Yousai's view.

_Damned kid has more energy than she needs! _Yousai thought bitterly. _I'm on old man! How the hell am I supposed to keep up?! _Before anymore sour thoughts could run through his head, he stopped. "What—?" he began.

"Sasgay!" Nami shouted.

"Not you again," Sasuke grimaced. His body was turned as if he had been planning on walking the other way. By his sides were Karin, Suigetsu, and Juugo.

"You know her, Sasuke?" Karin demanded.

"Hardly," Sasuke answered uninterestedly. "She's unimportant. I suppose you're here to blather on about coming back, again? I don't have time for this at all, so for the benefit of both of us—"

"Will you _shut_ _up _for two seconds?" Nami growled. "You just _love _hearing yourself talk, don't you? Don't you ever think of anybody else other than yourself? Think about the damage you've caused, all because of your psycho obsession of killing someone who—" Nami bit her lip. "Damn it," she murmured.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes.

"Anyway," Nami said, fixing herself into a ready position. "If I can't talk you out of it, you're coming back by force. Maybe seeing your old ties to Konoha will wake you up."

"All those ties are severed," Sasuke replied. "I don't want to bother with you, but it looks like you're not giving me a choice."

"Figured that out all by yourself, did you?" Nami said. "And don't you dare run away."

Sasuke scoffed.

"You want me to take care of her, Sasuke?" Suigetsu asked a bit too eagerly.

"No," Sasuke answered.

"What, you wanna spare this one's life, too?" Suigetsu frowned. "I'll be careful."

Sasuke didn't answer the sword-wielder. Instead, he said, "Karin."

"Huh—y-yes?" Karin straightened her posture.

"Take Suigetsu and Juugo and get out of here," Sasuke said. "I'll be there in five minutes. Seven, tops. And don't you mislead anyone."

"All right," Karin said, turning a bit red. "Come on."

"Hmph," Nami smirked, "That wasn't very smart, Sasgay. Didn't you want to say goodbye to them before I take you back?"

"What wasn't smart was sparing you last time," Sasuke said. "Are you really in this much of a hurry to die?"

Nami answered with a flaming arched fist, which missed Sasuke as he stepped backward. Taking the split-second opportunity, he started to draw his blade to slash her with a uppercut. However, Nami wasn't alone. Yousai quickly swiped Nami off the ground and several feet away from Sasuke in an instant.

"Use your head for once!" Yousai barked. "What's wrong with you?!" _She's off for some reason…_ he thought as he watched her run off towards the Uchiha again.

"Stay out of this!" Nami shouted over her shoulder. _I got so used to using my sword…_ Nami thought, clenching her teeth as she unleashed a barrage of punches and kicks against Sasuke. _This feels so unnatural…! But I can't lose…Not against him! _Nami put her hands in several hand seals then sent a rain of fire towards Sasuke.

"You should've chosen a different element," Sasuke sneered as he evaded the flames. "Like I don't know how to dodge those attacks."

Nami scowled. However, she had no time to speak, because Sasuke was speeding right at her, sword aiming for her heart. A kunai appeared in her hand, which she brought up to clash with the Kusanagi Blade. She winced at the painful strain on her wrists and couldn't help but to step several feet back.

Sasuke stared at her mockingly with his cold, black eyes. "Huh…You seem to be weaker than last time. Something the matter?"

Nami let out a frustrated scream as she lunged towards Sasuke for the umpteenth time. However, the Uchiha was ready for it. He ducked beneath her blow then slammed the hilt of his sword into her stomach. Nami choked; the next thing she knew, she was on the ground, staring up at Sasuke's cocky face. Her eyes instinctively squeezed shut as Sasuke forced his sword downward.

-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-

"Midori…" Kyoko said, peeking her head through Midori's doorway. "You've been at those books ever since we got home. That's like, _three hours_. Probably _more_! Take a break…"

"No way am I gonna be unprepared for the next exam," Midori said. "It'll be harder than the last one."

"But Midori-_chan_…" Kyoko whined.

"There are leftovers in the fridge! Or you can go cook yourself something! You know how to boil water!"

"There isn't anymore instant ramen…" Kyoko frowned, walking into the room. She leaned over Midori's shoulder and said, "What the heck are you reading anyway—?"

"STOP THAT!" Midori ordered, hunching over the book and covering it with her arms.

Kyoko raised an eyebrow. "Midori…are you doodling?"

Midori's face turned bright red.

"Preparing for the next exam, eh?" Kyoko said, crossing her arms. A small smile slowly formed under her nose.

"I-I was! Honest, I _was_…before…I got bored…" Midori said in defeat.

"You're not as studious as you used to be," Kyoko remarked.

"W-Well, I retain information well if I look at it a couple of times…"

"Yeah, a couple hundred," Kyoko snickered.

"It's hard to focus when you don't know what to focus on…" Midori sighed. "You know how many topics there are on _just _the basic rules of a shinobi and the old strategies used by—"

"Geez, Midori. Enough with the excuses; it's getting kinda annoying. Anyway, Marieke said to rest easy! You can't rest easy if you're doing this. So let's take a load off, right now!"

"…And go to Ichiraku?"

"You read my mind! Let's go!"

-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-

_Why am I not dead yet? _Nami thought. _I should be dead right now…_ But she wasn't. Nami dared to open one slit of an eye, then both widely. Sasuke had brought his blade down, but it seemed he had missed. The point lay imbedded in the ground, centimeters from her head. Parts of her hair were chopped off in the process.

"I've decided I don't want to dirty my blade with your worthless blood," Sasuke said without care. "I've wasted too much time with you. Listen to me, for once, and don't follow me. I swear, the next time you bother me with your nonsense, it _will _be the last time. Leave. Me. Alone." He roughly pulled the blade from the ground and sheathed his sword. Then without another word, he vanished.

Yousai, who had been in mid-run when Sasuke pushed the blade down, came over to Nami and kneeled down. "How are you doing, girl?"

"Not so hot," Nami managed to murmur.

"Can you get up?"

"Do I have to?"

Yousai sighed. Then, to Nami's bewilderment, he picked her up with both arm and started carrying her away. However, she didn't protest, and she and he started heading back to the lodge.

"Seems like your friend is adamant about doing things his own way," Yousai commented after a while.

Nami was silent.

"What's wrong with you?" Yousai questioned. "Lost your will to live, or something?"

Still no answer.

"That's too bad," Yousai said. "Because it seems to me that God doesn't want you in heaven…and Satan doesn't want you either. Just how many near-death experiences have you had anyway? I can just imagine…"

"What was wrong with me?" Nami muttered suddenly. She had a distant look in her half-open eyes. "Why couldn't I face him? Why was I so weak?"

"Well…" Yousai said thoughtfully. "One theory is…You don't know how to fight as well without your sword. Or it could be that he's simply gotten stronger. Perhaps you had comrades with you before? Then again…Maybe your spirit really wasn't into it. You didn't believe you could bring him back, and you were right. It's strange to me…You were in such high spirits before, and yet when it came to actually confronting him, you caved in."

"How direct…"

"Pish-pash. There's no use in worrying about it now. It's done and over with. Kaput. The only things you have to worry about now is how you're going to wash my laundry and cook in the little time you have left before the day ends. There's nothing else you can do."

"It seems that I hear that a lot," she answered quietly.

"Then maybe you should start listening," was the last thing Yousai said. The rest of the journey was traveled in silence.

By the time they reached the lodge, the sun was steadily setting under the horizon. Yousai set Nami gingerly onto the bed and said, "All right. I'll give you special treatment this _one time_. But it's adding another day to your sentence as my maid."

"Hmph," Nami grumbled, turning in the bed to face the wall.

"You'd better not keep up that attitude; it's not gonna get you anywhere," Yousai said roughly. Then he realized something. The old man turned left, then right then dropped to the ground to inspect underneath chairs, the bed, etc.

"That traitorous little bastard," Yousai sighed in annoyance.

-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-SCENE-

"Sasuke."

"…"

"Sasuke."

"…"

"_Sasuke_! I'm talking to you!" Karin raised her voice.

"What is it, Karin?" Sasuke demanded icily, shooting the red-head a deathly glare.

"…Um," Karin stuttered, adjusting her glasses, "That stupid cat is still following us."

"Like I said _earlier_," Sasuke said, "I don't _care_ about some mangy cat." How dare she interrupt his train of thought with something as trivial as a cat? Specifically, a cat that seemed to walk oddly close to Juugo.

"You afraid of tiny furry things or something?" Suigetsu mocked.

"Of course not!"

"I can get rid of it, if it bothers you so much," Suigetsu offered, shooting a sly grin at Karin.

"Don't," Juugo protested.

Suigetsu and Karin turned their heads toward Juugo with similar looks on their faces.

"I-I mean," Juugo said, "It's not bothering anyone."

"Hmph. Whatever."

"You're so weird, Juugo," Karin remarked under her breath.

Juugo looked down at the four-legged creature padding along beside him and a small half-smile softened his expression.

* * *

Oh noes. Nami lost again. (Sorry, Nami!) As you can see, I'm not quite ready to bring Sasuke back yet. And obviously, this story'll stray from Kishimoto's storyline a bit when the time comes (but it's a good thing, right? I'm gonna be original for once!) Now, I can't make any promises about updates other than they WILL COME...mostly because my teachers decided to spare us and only give me a tiny amount of hell...I mean homework.

Hasta luego! (Yes, I'm taking Spanish XD)

-HM


	36. Moving Along

Oh, oh, I bet I knew what you guys were thinking when you looked in your inbox today! It was either "OMGWTFBBQ SHE UPDATED?!" or "Who the heck is this Hikari person?" right? Right? Or perhaps I've been forgotten and I'm talking to nobody right now. Either way, I did, in fact, update. After like...four months, decided that I would log into FF again and check how long my procrastination's been going on. Wow, has this place CHANGED. I just want to let you know that I'm not abandoning any story, and even if I don't update as frequently as I used to, I'll try my best to keep the story ONWARD!!!

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.

* * *

"I wonder what the next exam could be," Kyoko said. She and Midori were waiting in the old usual spot. She was hanging from a tree, swinging back and forth while Midori sat lazily underneath the shade. The air was crisp and lovely; light breezes passed through every now and then, and the faint sound of birds singing unfamiliar tunes could be heard. To think that the two would soon spend the nice day doing some sort of horrendous alternate exam was disheartening.

"I hope it doesn't take long," Midori said, shutting her eyes wearily.

"Cuz today's perfect for sitting in the park with a certain you-know-Hyuuga?" Kyoko guessed.

"Of course not," Midori frowned, though Kyoko could easily spot the red in her cheeks.

"Morning, girls!" Marieke chimed as she appeared before the two. "Ready for your second exam?"

"You seem happy today," Kyoko said suspiciously.

Marieke shrugged. "It's a beautiful day, isn't it? Of course, you two won't be able to enjoy it completely unless you finish your exam quickly."

"Bring it on," Kyoko said, dropping down lightly on the grass. "We can take it!"

"I hope you girls like games," Marieke said, "Because your next exam is a maze."

Midori raised an eyebrow.

"Sometimes chuunin are put into situations when their chakra becomes ineffective. So, your chakra will be compressed once you're in the maze. That means no summoning, no jutsu, and no shortcuts. Make it through the maze to the other side in four hours or less and you pass. Make it through even a millisecond after, you fail. Then there's a chance you may not make it through the maze at all…"

Midori and Kyoko exchanged uncertain glances.

"Oh, but you won't have to worry about that," Marieke said brightly, waving the serious atmosphere away. "You two will pass with flying colors, I'm sure. Off we go!"

Now, you would think that this maze was hidden some hours away in a secret location, but this just so happened to be just one of the many training areas in Konoha (like the Forest of Death). This was Training Area No. 27, one of the larger training areas found in the village of Konohagakure. An elaborate maze made of cool, thick stone that may very well stretch over three or four football fields. The gray walls towered ten feet high from the ground, and the pathways in the maze were paved with the same stone.

Before either of the girls could say anything, Marieke abruptly slapped two white squares onto their foreheads.

"What the hell?" Kyoko protested.

"Hold still, you two," Marieke ordered. She whipped out a brush and ink from who-knows-where and started brushing with light strokes. The kanji for "suppress" started to form. "This will suppress your chakra…"

"Eh…couldn't you have written it down before you stuck it on our foreheads?" Kyoko asked impatiently.

Marieke's eyebrow twitched as she frowned. She started to paint a curly-cue mustache on Kyoko's face.

"H-HEY!" Kyoko exclaimed, but it was too late. "What kind of sensei are you?!"

"You should know by now," Marieke teased.

Midori covered her grin before Kyoko could see it.

"Anyway, we're not quite finished yet," Marieke said. With her left and right index fingers, she tapped each girl's forehead. Suddenly, a slight heaviness enveloped them as if a dumbbell was set onto their shoulders.

Kyoko stretched a bit, "Huh…forgot how this felt like…"

Midori untied her necklace and placed it into a pocket. "No chakra, huh…?"

"Now," Marieke said, "the rules are: you cannot climb over the walls to get to the end. I've already told you the time limit, so there's not much more to say other than be aware of anything and everything. This is not a normal maze. Are you ready? Your time starts…now!"

As soon as the girls stepped into the maze, a wall rose from the ground of the entrance.

"Looks like we have no other way out," Kyoko remarked.

It wasn't long before the duo reached their first fork; left and right.

"The best way to get through these things is to mark the places we've been," Midori said, pulling out a kunai. "Which way?"

"You're asking _me_?" Kyoko said, flabbergasted. "I have no sense of direction. Remember?"

Midori shrugged.

"Uh…right."

Midori carefully carved a mark on the left side. "Then let's go this way!"

"…That's so mean," Kyoko pouted, but followed nonetheless. However, as soon as she stepped through, a wall erupted from the ground unexpectedly, nipping Kyoko's heel.

Midori's mouth dropped open. "…Okay. My strategy will _not _work now."

"How are we supposed to get through this maze, then?" Kyoko complained. "How does she expect us to make the right choices at first glance?"

"Maybe we're supposed to look for the way out with our heart and not our eyes," Kyoko guessed.

"Wha?"

"I saw it in a movie once!" Kyoko claimed, sitting cross-legged on the cold ground. "Ooooohhhhmmm…" she chanted. "Ooooohhhmmm…"

Midori raised an eyebrow. She debated whether or not she should pull Kyoko to her feet and tell her that her logic made no sense at all, but an immediate rumbling disrupted her concentration. Spreading her arms out to keep balance, she said, "W-Wha-at's hap-pen-ing?" She glanced at Kyoko and saw that she seemed to be in a state of unconsciousness in her sitting position. Rolling her eyes, she tried to pinpoint what was causing the rumbling. She walked over to the wall that had recently appeared. Here eyes widened.

"I got it!" Kyoko sprung up. She suddenly found herself being pulled forward by Midori. Just as she was about to protest, a huge boulder crashed through the wall. "Holy sh—!" The boulder thundered noisily, following them down the straight maze like a shark.

Midori looked ahead to see three pathways. "Which way?!" she said aloud.

"Go straight!" Kyoko answered.

"Straight?!" Midori screamed. "Are you insane?!" Without chakra to boost her pace she was running at full speed on simple human endurance. She knew she'd tire out soon, ending up like road kill. "Let's go right!"

"NO! It's forward!"

"_What _are you _on_?!"

"Just trust me! I know what I'm talking about!"

Midori groaned loudly in complaint, but obediently kept running straight. Sure enough, another wall rose and the boulder was sent backwards as if it were the pinball in a pinball machine.

"Lucky…break…" Midori breathed. After catching her breath, she turned to her teammate and said, "What's so special about this path, anyway?"

Kyoko shrugged. "I saw it."

"Saw what?"

"This path! I saw it in a dream!"

"Are…you okay?"

"I know the way out!" Kyoko continued, ignoring Midori's question. "You know, sometimes, if you're looking for something, you can see them in dreams! It's like, you're subconsciously being told the answers to things!"

Midori shook her head, "Kyoko, I don't know if that actually works…"

"But it's the only strategy we have," Kyoko argued. "Otherwise, we'll just be going around blindly choosing 'eeny-meany-miny-moe'. What other strategy would we be able to base this maze on? Just trust me, 'kay?"

"All right…" Midori sighed.

The two didn't meet their next dilemma until quite a bit of time passed. It seemed that the pathway disappeared into a body of water that stretched for many, many yards. Experimentally, Kyoko dipped her finger in the water only to quickly withdraw it before she could get bitten by an angry piranha.

"So…was this in your dream too?" Midori questioned.

"Uh…" Kyoko scratched her head.

Midori stepped towards the water and peered into the depths of the miniature ocean. How could they get past? Even with chakra, avoiding the piranhas would prove to be tricky. But upon further inspection, Midori noticed several pieces of driftwood leisurely floating along in the water halfway above the surface. Surely the driftwood would sink within a second if weight was pressured for even a moment. But there didn't seem to be any other way.

"Looks like we'll have to get across this way," Midori said, pointing to the drifting pieces. "We have to time it right, though. Within the same second we step onto a piece of wood, we have to get off." She stepped back a bit to watch the movement of the wood and to calculate the best time to start off...

"Here I go!" Kyoko hollered, taking off with a running start.

"W-Wait!" Midori yelped.

Too late.

Midori watched anxiously as her teammate skipped over the wooden steps with sudden lithe she had never quite noticed before. Every time a piranha leaped out of the water to snap at Kyoko's ankles, she winced. Luckily, it seemed her ankles were always out of reach of the tiny, sharp teeth. And, to Midori's surprise, she made it across without a scratch. She rolled her eyes at Kyoko when the victory sign was flashed from far away.

"C'mon, Midori-chan!" Kyoko called, waving wildly. "It's not as hard as it looks!"

"Easy for you to say," Midori murmured, though she couldn't help but wonder how the clumsy Kyoko became so light-footed and graceful. After having a little pep talk with herself, she backed up several feet and sprinted towards the edge as Kyoko had and leapt off the ground.

"See, that wasn't so bad," Kyoko said optimistically.

Before Midori could reply, the atmosphere seemed to become tense. Both could feel a peculiar presence that kept them on their toes. Their suspicions were confirmed when a loud splash sounded and a hefty shadow fell over their heads. The kunoichi duo turned around slowly and was greeted by a falling creature that resembled a robust whale.

"Oh SHI—!"

---

"You could've taken this shortcut last time," Nami grumbled as Konoha came into view.

"Now what fun would that be? Knowing both ways is important," Yousai countered. "What would you do if this shortcut was closed off?"

"There's no way in hell I'm going back _there _again," Nami claimed. "A few more weeks and I'll be free of your child labor."

"Child?" Yousai scoffed. "I would hate to see what you were like when you were a child."

"Ha, an old pedo like you?" Nami retorted.

Yousai frowned. At least he knew she'd regained her feisty spark. As childish as she was being, he could see past her façade. This young girl had matured just a little bit after the past events occurred. It seemed that ever since he'd started watching her, she'd been changing at a stop-and-go pace. Nami did not take small steps. No, she had the tendency to take huge leaps at certain times rather than steadily rising like most. Whatever works, is what Yousai thought. After all, there's more than one way to mature.

His thoughts were cut off by a gurgling sound coming from the blond next to him.

"I'm hungry. Feed me," Nami ordered, placing a hand on her empty stomach.

"You talk like a five-year old," Yousai said bitterly. _She still has a lot of growing to do…_

---

"I don't even know _how _we got out of that alive," Kyoko gasped. She and Midori were now in another location in the maze, dripping wet and shivering.

"They say your reaction time increases when you're in a near-death situation," Midori said informatively. "Anyway, I think our sensei has a ginormous animal fetish." As she wrung out her short hair, Midori took in the surroundings. "I wonder where we are now…"

"Still in this godforsaken maze," Kyoko replied.

"Let's go this way, then," Midori said, pointing left.

Kyoko shrugged and followed after the shorter girl absentmindedly. When Midori stopped dead in her tracks, Kyoko bumped into her back.

"W—" Midori's hand clamped over Kyoko's mouth, silencing her. Then she saw the tigers.

They were pretty hard to miss, really. The whole lot of them was sprawled around, covering the ground almost as completely as a toddler's toys over the floor.

Midori put her index finger to her lips and she started tip-toeing quietly as only a ninja can. The only sound that was heard was the deep breathing of the sleeping felines.

_So far, so good, _Midori thought once they were about halfway through the sea of cats. _…Huh…this is about the time where something goes wrong…_

"Oh God," Kyoko squeaked.

Midori looked back at her friend then looked down at Kyoko's feet. On foot had ever so slightly grazed a particularly large tiger's tail.

Of course, when one tiger awakens, so do the rest. Kyoko speedily ducked before one angry tiger could pounce on her then rolled out of the way of another. Before she had to move again, she saw Midori pull out a smoke bomb and prepared to get the hell out of there. A second later, smoke blasted out of the area, giving the girls enough time to get out with a few many scratches. Once the haze had cleared, the tigers ran in different directions, intent on tracking down the sleep-offenders and ripping them to shreds.

There was no time for the two to take a break. Several tigers were hot on their trail, and there was no way to avoid conflict. But no ninjutsu meant they'd have to dirty their hands a bit.

Midori took a second to grab two handfuls of shuriken and twirl around to aim the weapons at the beasts. Unfortunately, the ninja stars slowed them down for a moment.

"Kyoko, this would be a _really _good time for you to use your long-range needle accuracy!" Midori hinted loudly.

"Hey, good idea!" Kyoko chuckled a she pulled out a few needles and sent them with precision. As soon as the points hit, the tigers dropped to the ground unwillingly. Their growls were furious; they were unable to move more than a twitch.

"'Atta girl! Bull's-eye!" Midori high-fived her teammate. "Now, let's—" she was suddenly silenced by the wall that abruptly stopped her in her tracks the hard way. "Ow…" Midori frowned when she heard Kyoko's quiet giggling. "You _didn't _see that."

"Aw, that's okay, Midori-chan," Kyoko snickered. "I run into walls all the time! Haha…wait…"

"Huh..." Midori murmured as she ran her hands along the wall. "This feels kind of weird."

"What do you mean?" Kyoko asked curiously.

"It seems more brittle here," Midori said. "And check out this dent my forehead made. That's not real stone. Kyoko, punch the wall."

"What?! I'm not punching a wall!"

"Do it!"

"Fine!" Kyoko bit her lip, reared back, and sent a hesitant but forceful fist at, no, _through _the wall. "H-Hey! That didn't hurt as much as I thought it would…"

"Yes…This must be a hidden weakest point in the maze. We were lucky to find it," Midori said. "Now we can finally get out of this maze!"

Working together, it only took a minute to pull apart the wall and the two were stepping through the hole in no time. Just as a victory dance was about to occur, Marieke appeared, hands behind her back.

"Good work, girls. Only…" Marieke started, "You _cheated_."

"Huh?!" Kyoko gaped.

"What?" Midori's eyes widened. "B-But you didn't say anything about—"

"Calm down, Midori," Marieke laughed, "I was just joking. Honestly, old bats like me can't have any fun nowadays. A chuunin must be aware of their surroundings, and make due with their raw power without the assistance of chakra in such situations. It was a bit rough but…I'd give this a pass. Barely."

Midori breathed a sigh of relief. "That's mean, sensei."

"Who cares? We passed the second exam! Only one more, right?" Kyoko asked excitedly.

"Yes, and I wouldn't be celebrating so quickly," Marieke said. "Preparation for the third exam starts now. Your first task…" She brought one hand forth, gripping two straws. "Pick a straw."

Kyoko and Midori exchanged uncertain glances, but simultaneously reached for the straws nonetheless. It was evident that the plastic sticks weren't the same size as soon as the teammates pulled them from their sensei's fist.

"Um…what are these for, exactly?" Midori asked once she noticed she had received the longer straw.

"The third exam is quite simple in a sense," Marieke said. "What you will aim for is victory over…me."

"W-What?"

"Being a chuunin represents your growth as a trainee…you don't need a sensei anymore," Marieke continued. "The only way I will consent to you two becoming chuunin is when you are able to overcome your master. Make sense?"

"So then…we're not doing it together?" Kyoko frowned, staring at her short straw.

"That's correct. What's more, you get to go first, Kyoko. Congratulations."

Kyoko flinched. "E-Eh? But, but—"

"You're in the better situation, Midori," Marieke said as she turned to Midori, "You may watch the battle from the sidelines, and you will have one day more to train than Kyoko does. You have a week to hone your skills, Kyoko. Be ready at this location at 3 AM," Marieke unfolded a miniature map that included Konoha and the outskirts beyond the village. A red circle was placed somewhere northwest of Konoha. "Don't be late."

By this time, the girls were used to Marieke's "hit-and-run" explanations, and were not fazed by her disappearing act. Besides, they were too busy stressing out about the "third exam".

"Aw man…it would've been _so _much easier defeating another genin," Kyoko groaned, "But really, a _jounin_? What kind of chuunin exam is that?"

"Well, think about it," Midori said calculatingly, "Perhaps the goal isn't to _defeat _Marieke-sensei, but to display our power. It's not like in the real Chuunin Exams you would become a chuunin just by winning, anyway, right? The Hokage and his advisors would analyze your skill. Even if you lose, you might still become a chuunin."

"You mean I can lose and still be a chuunin?" Kyoko's eyes sparkled hopefully.

"Uh…If you uh, think of it that way, you might not…" Midori stuttered. "You can't really tell, with sensei…FORGET I SAID ANYTHING."

Kyoko's shoulders slumped and she sighed, "It won't do any good if I can't last thirty seconds with her, though. I gotta go train! Don't expect me home for at least another—" It was then that Kyoko's stomach growled disturbingly loud. "Uh…I mean...tomorrow. Don't expect me home tomorrow. What's for dinner, Midori-chan?"

"Um…take-out ramen?"

"…YAY!"

The two girls stopped by Ichiraku before they headed home with bags of ramen-filled containers in their hands. As they neared the apartment, they noticed the silhouette of a figure hopping up and down outside the door as if they were attempting to touch window on the floor above.

"H-Hey…" Kyoko said, stopping, "Do you think it's a burglar trying to rob the guy living above us?"

"It could be…" Midori murmured.

"I'll stop him, then!"

"No, wait—!"

Kyoko had already whipped out a kunai and chucked it as quickly as she could. The figure suddenly stopped and slumped against the wall.

"Did I hit him?"

"There's only one way to find out!"

Kyoko and Midori hurried towards there door, and Midori froze.

"Uh…Kyoko…"

"I know."

"You…almost…flippin'…_killed _me!" Nami gasped. "You moron!"

"Nami! You're home!" Midori exclaimed nervously.

"Yeah, and that's the welcome I get?!"

"Well, what were you doing, jumping up and down so suspiciously?!" Kyoko demanded.

"I was getting the _spare key _we keep above the door, idiot!"

"How was I supposed to know you were home?!"

"You don't go around throwing pointy objects at people!"

"Well _sorry_!"

"That doesn't sound like a sincere apology at all!"

_They're back together again, _Midori thought, _But for some reason, I don't know if I should be celebrating or drowning in self-pity…Eh, I'll celebrate._

"Hey, hey," Midori said, bringing her arms around the shoulders of each quarreling girl. "No fighting on the day we're reunited. Let's go inside and eat!"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"We'd have more food to eat if we didn't have to split it."

"Shut up, Kyoko."

* * *

Haha...For the record, Kyoko and Nami aren't really that mean to each other in real life. Arguements just make stories more interesting. Anyway, methinks me should be getting back to work on Shippuuden Choice Awards...and AizoAnime...and a bunch of other things I'm planning on updating today, somehow. And now that you know I'm not dead, you can REJOICE!! Or not.

HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE! Thanks for reading :D

-HM


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